Only Hope
by mysticmonkey86
Summary: After being home schooled all her life, Rachel Berry gets a rude awakening after being thrown in to public high school McKinley for her last year. Struggling to make friends, every day is a battle. Can she pull through? **Major character changes throughout... Love triangle...Reviews welcomed with warm hugs from Olaf...**
1. Chapter 1

**Only Hope**

Ch- 1

Rachel Berry walked down the empty corridor of her new school. She felt sick to her stomach as she looked at the locker key, her hands trembling, and read the number. It was bad enough to start a new school, but to start it in the middle of second period was awful. She could already feel the glares and the filthy looks she would get.

She found her locker, number 319, and opened it, her hands still shaking. She put the books inside that she wouldn't be needing just yet, closed the door, and swung her dark blue bag adorned with gold stars over her shoulder.

She wasn't really like most high-school kids. She couldn't be certain she wasn't like them, but she had a feeling she wasn't.

She had been home schooled all of her life, right up until this moment, by her Dads. She had two gay Dads and they had always tried to give her the world. She loved the bubble they had created for themselves at home, she knew what she needed to know, she was getting along just fine.

And then Shelby had to swoop in and completely shit her life up. God, she was so angry at that woman. That woman she was supposed to call 'Mom'. Technically, she was her birth Mother, but she had given her up when she was born. She didn't want her, which is how she came to be raised by the two greatest people she knew.

Almost six months ago, Rachel had an unexpected letter through the post from Shelby, the first contact she had ever made with her. And the letter said she was going to get her back. It said how she didn't agree with her being home schooled and nonsense like that. Rachel had laughed at the time, not believing a word of it. Nobody in their right minds would send her to live with a woman she didn't know when she was blissfully happy where she was.

She had been naïve. Turns out, her Dads had signed an adoption agreement at birth agreeing to certain things, and by home schooling her, they had broken those rules. She had to watch the two men she loved have their hearts ripped in two as she was forced to go and live over the other side of town with Shelby.

They were allowed twice a week visits. But what good was that? She hated this. She hated all of it. And now she had to finish out her final school year at an actual school. She would be eighteen soon and she would fight to get away from Shelby, but right now, she had to deal with this.

She smoothed her mustard skirt down, pulled her knee-high socks up, picked a fleck of dust off her black t-shirt, and patted her long brunette locks down. She didn't know what you were supposed to wear at school, so she just wore the things she would have if she were at home. She panicked for a moment about her hair, wondering if it was policy to have it up. She had left it down this morning, loose waves tumbling over her shoulders, and added a mustard beret to match her skirt.

It didn't matter how long she stood here by this locker, she had to go and face whatever was awaiting her. The sooner she got it out of the way, the sooner she could get home and throw darts in her room at an old picture she had found of Shelby.

She checked her timetable, frowning even more at the thought of walking into a Math class. Everyone would be silent and studious, and it would be so much worse when she made her entrance.

Maybe she would get lost in the long winding school corridors and miss the entire lesson? That would be good. Then it would be a fifteen minute break and she could join everyone walking into science, and maybe, just maybe… nobody would notice her.

No such luck. She watched as the strange principle started making a beeline for her in the empty corridor. She had met with her before she started the school. Principle Sue Sylvester. She had spent the entire meeting insulting Rachel, she never called her her actual name, she just made horrible names and talked a load of nonsense she didn't really understand. And what was with the awful tracksuits? Last time it had been blue, today bright red. Is this really what Principle's wore?

"Oh look, if it isn't 'Annoying New Jewish Girl' . That's a bit of a mouthful, I'm going to have to come up with something shorter for you. But that will do for today. Why have you been standing in this corridor for ten minutes? I have a camera trained on every part of the school in my office and I thought the screen had frozen, but nope, here you still are. "

"I… I… uh…. I was just…. I'm feeling super nervous and I was gearing myself up to go. I told you before, I have never been to a school before, this is a huge thing for me."

"Wow, you are even more annoying when you open your mouth. My heart bleeds for you. Now get to class."

Rachel nodded meekly, hanging her head low and walking past Principle Sue. She didn't realise Principles were allowed to be so horrible to their students. Was it like this at every school?

She found her classroom, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Nobody said anything, so she walked in , and immediately felt thirty pairs of eyes on her. Her cheeks went red as she heard some giggles and even though it was whispered , Rachel clearly heard the words "What a freak show." She tried to blot the students out as she focussed on the teacher, and handed her a note explaining who she was.

"Ah. Rachel Berry. We've been waiting for you to join us. Don't be late to my class again. Go and take a seat, and turn to page thirty three of your algebra book."

She nodded, her cheeks still red as she turned to find an empty seat. Everyone was staring at her as she moved along the classroom. For a moment, she didn't think there was an empty chair. She finally spotted one near the back corner, next to a really tall looking blonde boy. She was grateful she didn't have to sit next to one of the girls, the cheerleaders were all looking at her with disgust, and the other girls were looking like she was an alien. At least this blonde boy had put his head down when she had spotted the seat, and pretended to do some work.

She sat down, noisily scraping the chair behind her, making everyone look at her again. She peeked at the guys book next to her, she had forgotten which page to turn to after the embarrassment of finding an empty seat.

To her dismay, he didn't have it open, he was just doodling on the front. She read his name.

Sam Evans.

He noticed her looking and frowned.

"Turn to page thirty three before she looks over and guesses I'm not working. The last thing I need is a new girl getting me into trouble."

His harsh tone shocked her. So far , starting a new school was not going well. Everyone seemed so hostile.

But she thought, since she was here, she had to give things a try. The class had all started muttering among themselves now she had sat down, so she thought she may as well join in.

"I'm Rachel Berry. Nice to meet you!"

She tried to keep her voice cheerful, even though she felt anything but, and offered him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I know. I just heard the teacher say your name. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't speak to me."

She nodded , and looked down at her book , turning to page thirty three. Her eyes smarted with tears as she looked down at the work she had to do, her red cheeks showing no hint of dying down as the two cheerleader girls sat behind her and Sam had heard his words to her and were laughing.

She completed the work in ten minutes. She had done this particular work two years ago with her Dads. She sighed as she thought of her Dads. Why couldn't she be back with them? She hated this. She felt Sam's eyes on her after the sigh, so she sat up in her seat straight, determined not to give anything away. Nobody in this place would see that she was crumbling. She was sure of that.

Before the end of the lesson, the teacher walked round to check everyone's work . When she got to Rachel, she raised her eyebrows in surprise , then leant next to her desk.

"Every question on this page is right Miss Berry. Do you require something harder?"

Rachel shrugged, not really knowing how to answer the question.

"Uh… I guess. I already done this two years ago."

Yet again, she felt Sam's eyes on her as the teacher looked impressed, and hurried back to the front desk, pulling out a thick text book.

She walked back over and slammed it down, making Rachel jump.

"Try this one. Fill in the first few pages for me and we will take it from there."

Rachel was just about to explain she had also done this book around six months ago, but the bell rang. Everyone jumped out of their seats and started shoving books in their bags, chatting noisily to each other. Rachel followed their lead, trying to fit the huge book into her bag.

"Your cleverness just saved me from her finding out I didn't do any work today, so I guess I should thank you for that. Seriously though, if you are going to sit near me, we can't speak."

The words didn't hurt as much this time. She looked up at him defiantly.

"Fine."

His blue eyes bore down on her as he tried to read her reaction. His hair was flopping over his forehead slightly, and she didn't know if it was just because she wasn't used to being around people, but he had an unusually large mouth.

He shook his head, like he was confused at something she had said, then barged past her. She watched him walk out of the classroom, realisation hitting her as the blonde cheerleader who had been sitting behind them caught up with him and linked his hand.

Ah. His girlfriend was a cheerleader. It all made sense now. In a way, it cheered her up. It made her hopeful that other people would be nicer to her from now on. She quickly realised it was only wishful thinking.

Through the fifteen minute break , she was followed, shouted at, tripped over, and somebody even through an apple core at her head. It turned out that she had dressed in a way that made people relentlessly tease her. Nobody in the whole school had an outfit like hers, and it made her anxious for the following days. These were the type of clothes she owned. She felt comfortable in them.

By the time the bell rang and she started making her way to the science lab, she was done. It was weird, but she didn't even have the energy to walk out of the school. She felt drained. She thought it would be better to suffer for the rest of the day, rather than walk out and fight.

She shuffled into the room with a group of other students , almost crying when she saw that the blonde cheerleader from Math was in this class as well. There was no sign of Sam , so at least that was one less thing to worry about. She handed the science teacher her note explaining who she was, and waited for him to give her instructions. He treated her pretty much the same way as the Math teacher had, and told her with contempt to go and find an empty work station space.

She started walking through the lab, her stomach feeling dread at having to do this again. She suddenly felt a renewed energy, she was about to throw her bag down, run out of the school and never come back, when a kind voice to the left of her spoke.

"You can pair up with me if you want?"

She looked at the guy who had just spoken. He looked almost as unusual as she did. He had bright red skinny trousers on, a pink button up shirt and a red bow-tie. His black hair was completely plastered to his head with hair gel, and his huge hazel eyes were welcoming as he smiled at her.

"Sure . Thanks."

She smiled in return as she slid her bag under the desk and sat on a stool next to him.

He held out his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Blaine Anderson."

"Rachel Berry." She smiled back, jumping slightly as the touch shocked them both. They both laughed shyly.

"Well… we are in a science lab I guess…. Or maybe you are just like… this really weird electrical sort of person."

She shrugged, a smile still on her face.

"Maybe I am."

"Oh mysterious. I like mysterious. I look forward to getting to know you Rachel Berry."

"Likewise."

They hushed as the teacher started explaining what experiment they had to do. Rachel already felt bored, knowing that she had previously done this years ago.

She kept sneaking glances at Blaine. It wasn't because she fancied him, even though he was quite dreamy, it was because he was the first person who had offered her a kind word all day.

The teacher told them to go and collect the experiment equipment from the back of the classroom, and everyone headed that way. As they reached the things they needed, Rachel fell forward, banging her hand on the hard wooden table next to her as the blonde cheerleader from earlier pushed into her.

"Watch it loser."

The blonde folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Rachel.

"You pushed into me. I didn't do anything."

The girl rolled her eyes, and looked at her friends grinning, then back at her in disgust.

"Oh it speaks. I said 'Watch it loser' and I meant it. Now get out of my way."

Rachel didn't say anything, but she didn't move out of the way either. Instead, she pushed forward and collected the equipment, handing it to Blaine, then marched back over to the seat, her head held high.

Blaine sat down beside her, he was smiling at her broadly as they sorted out the equipment.

"Wow, I'm impressed. You held your ground against Quinn Fabray. Most other people would run away crying, but you just bravely marched forth and grabbed that equipment like nobody's business."

She giggled at the dramatic voice he had just put on .

"Quinn? Is that her name?. She was giving me grief in math earlier, and I am pretty certain she threw an apple core at my head in break just now. I think it's because I sat next to her boyfriend in Math, but I had no choice. It was the only seat left."

Blaine nodded, showing he understood.

"Quinn will crush anyone, especially people who go near her man. And it doesn't help if the people near her boyfriend are beautiful."

She blushed, and looked down at the table. She didn't know what to do with her eyes.

"Thanks. But I'm not. Not compared to the girls here. Not compared to Quinn."

He scoffed, and started measuring out some liquid into a beaker.

"You are worth ten of her. Trust me , I should know. I dated her last year"

Rachel couldn't help the rise in her voice.

"You dated her?! You and her…. Wow. That seems like an odd kind of fit."

He smiled, handing her a pair of goggles. Their fingers briefly touched , but they pretended they didn't notice, even though they both did.

"Yes. For a month or two. She left me for Sam. It didn't matter anyway. If she hadn't left me, I would have left her. She may be nice looking, but she is ugly on the inside Rachel. And that is not a quality I look for in someone."

"Hhhmmm. I must admit, so far, she hasn't dazzled me with her kindness."

They both laughed now, then the science teacher scolded the whole class for talking, telling them to work in silence.

It was frustrating having to be so quiet when all she wanted to do was chat with Blaine, but she focused on the work instead.

As the bell rang signalling the start of lunch, he turned to her, putting a hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"It was great working with you today Rachel. Listen, I have to go. I seem to be the president of every club at the moment and I have to go do some stuff, which sucks , because I don't really want to leave you alone at lunch. Just keep your head down and get by OK ? It won't be so bad once you get used to it."

She smiled, touched at his sincerity, she felt strangely disappointed as he took his hand away from her shoulder.

"I'll try and keep my head down. Thanks for being so nice to me today Blaine."

He chuckled, picking his bag up and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Don't even mention it beautiful."

Her belly flipped as he called her beautiful, and she watched him as he walked away. Just before he left the class, he turned back to face her.

"Hey, I don't suppose you want to check out Glee club?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Glee club?"

She watched the muscles in his arm flex as he clutched his bag strap. He really was very handsome.

"Yeah. We sing, we dance… that sort of thing. We actually need a new member. We have three sessions a week after school over in the choir room, and we have one today. It would be amazing if you wanted to come along, you might make some friends. Most of the people are cool."

Honestly, Rachel felt torn. She wasn't even sure if she could sing and dance, and the thought of having to stay in this school longer than necessary made her feel sick. But the fact that Blaine would be there made her want to at least check it out.

She grabbed her bag and walked towards the door where he stood.

"Maybe." She shrugged and walked away, laughing to herself as she heard him mutter the word 'mysterious' . When she looked back, he was lost among the crowd.


	2. Chapter 2

**Only Hope – 2**

Somehow, Rachel made it through lunch. It was just as bad as break had been earlier, but she got through it. She kept thinking of Blaine and his encouragement, and knowing that there was at least one nice person in the school spurred her on.

She didn't really know what to do in the canteen, nobody had explained it to her. She walked in and joined the line, but she only stayed five minutes before the staring and the names got to her. She didn't know what to do with her tray anyway, so in the end she just ran from the lunch hall and into the school fields.

She found a tree to sit under while the lunch hour passed by. At one point she saw Quinn dragging Sam along across the field to a group of cheerleaders. It looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Rachel watched him and even from a far, she could tell he had a scowl on his face. He was wearing a red football jersey, and she guessed that with him being on the football team and Quinn a cheerleader, they were probably the most popular couple in school.

Rachel held her belly as it growled with hunger. She looked at her timetable, she had a double lesson of English this afternoon. She actually liked English, at home, it had been her favourite subject, but the thought of walking into another classroom with everyone staring at her was awful.

Maybe Blaine would be there? That thought made her smile. The smile only disappeared when she walked into the classroom twenty minutes later to find he wasn't there. To her complete horror, Sam Evans was , and worse yet, his table yet again held the only empty chair.

She gave her note to the teacher explaining who she was, and made her way to the table. She scanned the classroom again, just to check there weren't any other seats, but no. It was the only one.

Sam didn't look up as she pulled the chair out, and moved it as close to the edge of the table as it would go.

The teacher was friendlier than the other two, and Rachel actually quite liked her. Until she told the class to work in their pairs and discuss what the meaning of a long, drawn out poem that Rachel had already read back when she was twelve was.

She couldn't help the audible groan that escaped her lips as she turned to face Sam.

"I know I'm not allowed to speak to you, but I kind of have to if it's for work. I'm sorry. Let's just get this done shall we? It's not my fault you are the only person with a spare seat in every class."

Sam raised his eyebrow. Then he smiled. His whole face changed when he smiled. All Rachel had seen him do so far today was scowl.

"Mumma always said 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.'"

Rachel stared at him blankly.

"Excuse me?"

"My names Forest, Forest Gump."

She shook her head, not understanding what was going on.

"I know what or who Forest Gump is. I just don't get what you are doing….. "

He smiled again, and spoke now in his normal voice.

"People tell me I'm good at impressions. And you have to admit, that was good."

Rachel raised an eyebrow as she grabbed a notepad and pen out of her bag, so they could write notes on this poem they were supposed to study.

"No? Not a fan of Tom Hanks? How about my Sean Connery? I do an amazing Connery impression. Or Denzel Washington? You will like that one."

Rachel frowned, not quite knowing what to say.

"I don't want you to do any impressions. I have no clue what is going on right now. Earlier on, you told me not to speak to you. Now, you are giving me your very unimpressive range of talents. Do you have multiple personality disorder or something?"

He started laughing, and it was actually really nice. It was soothing and deep, and like smiles, laughter looked good on him.

"No. I don't think I do anyway. Look, I'm sorry, It's just…. Math is a crummy situation. My girlfriend was sitting behind me and it was just….."

Rachel quickly glanced around the classroom, noticing that Quinn wasn't here. Everything clicked into place.

"Ah. So you don't have multiple personality disorder. You just have 'Jerk when girlfriend is near' disorder. Well that sucks for you. Let's just do this stupid poem. It's been a long day for me. I need to get this work done and go home."

And maybe go to Glee club, she thought to herself, a small smile playing on her lips as she thought of Blaine.

"Actually, I was trying to protect you. I could see you were already having a hard day and I didn't want to give Quinn a reason to make it even worse. And trust me, if we spoke during that lesson like we are now, she would have made your life shit."

She looked at him as he opened the poetry book to the page they needed to be on.

"Right. So you were really being a good guy. Sure. That totally explains why you didn't want me to get you into trouble for not doing your work, and why nobody ever sits near you in class. I'm sticking with the jerk theory."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"If you must know, I like to be alone. So I chose to sit by myself. And as for the other thing, I am flunking at Math. Like , really bad. I opened the book today before you walked in the class and I couldn't do any of it. It just baffles me. I find it really hard and I don't even know where to begin. I've tried telling the teacher, and she just accused me of being lazy and not studying enough. I also tried telling Quinn, but she laughed and said I better sort it, because she couldn't date someone who doesn't have perfect grades. So there. Part Jerk, part dumbass I guess."

Rachel felt bad then. It was clear he felt bad about the Math thing.

"OK , I take it back. You aren't a jerk, or a dumbass. You know… I could always help you out. Maybe tutor you or whatever."

Her reward was a dazzling smile. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and stared at her in awe.

"Wait, you would really do that? For me? You must be good at it, I heard what the teacher said to you earlier."

Rachel nodded, chewing on the end of her pen before speaking.

"I already did that algebra book. I can help you if you really are struggling. Just let me know a time and place."

He thought for a moment, then his face lit up.

"How about lunchtime? I saw you earlier at lunch, you were in the canteen line, and then you ran out and didn't have anything to eat. Later on I saw you by a tree while Quinn and her friends droned on about some scandal on another cheerleading squad. I have to listen to that mind numbing stuff every lunch. If I tell her I am working on my Math, she won't question it. I will just leave out the fact that I will be studying with you. "

Rachel narrowed her eyes, a frown returning to her face.

"So you want me to be your dirty little secret?"

He chuckled again, the noise vibrating in her belly.

"You can't be my dirty little anything Rachel, I have a girlfriend."

She rolled her eyes.

"But you teach me Math, I will provide you lunch every day without having to face the gossip and stares. How about we start tomorrow and every day after until I can master it? Outside this class maybe?"

Rachel nodded, but she wasn't convinced this was the greatest idea.

"Sure. But for now, let's get this poem sorted shall we?"

He smiled, and shuffled his chair close up to hers. He smelt manly, it was a mixture of the outdoors and a faint scent of cologne. But it was nice.

He reached over to his bag, getting something out. A few seconds later, he slid a chocolate bar over to her, concealing it from view with the poem book.

"For you. You must be hungry. The teacher wouldn't even know if a nuclear bomb was going off around her, she's oblivious to everything. You should be fine eating it without her knowing."

The small gesture touched her, and she knew from that moment she would help him out.

He may have had troubles in one subject, but he was brilliant at English. She listened with interest as he explained what he thought the meaning of the poem was, and she had never thought of it until he put it that way. Her stomach no longer growled as she nibbled the chocolate bar.

Sam seemed quite deep underneath all the footballer/cheerleader girlfriend stuff. It surprised her.

The teacher of course picked on them to give a presentation, her being the new girl. Just before they stood up and walked to the front of the class , Sam whispered to ignore all the haters. It made her giggle when he said haters, because it didn't really suit him, but his words got her through the scowls, smirks and mick taking while she tried to speak.

Before the bell went, signalling the end of the day, Sam nudged her with his arm when they were back at their table.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

She smiled, for some reason, not able to meet his eyes.

"If I come back, then yeah."

He had perfect timing as he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder just as the sharp shrill bell sounded.

"You better come back." He almost muttered, then he walked away. She wasn't sure if she was even supposed to have heard his last words. She frowned. People at this school were crazy so far. Everyone she had met had been hostile or rude, or rude but kind when the girlfriend was out of the picture, or just…. Lovely. She smiled again as she thought of Blaine, looked at her map of the school and made her way to the choir room.

She found it relatively easy, and she tried to peek in to see if Blaine was there yet, but she couldn't see everybody so she had no choice but to walk in.

Her heart sunk as she saw Quinn sitting on one of the chairs, Sam on the seat next to her, clutching hands. Blaine had known Quinn was giving her grief earlier, why would he tell her to come to this? And this was the last place she thought Sam would ever come.

The blonde girl looked up, frowning as Rachel hovered by the door. Her reaction made Sam look at her then, he looked shocked at first, then settled in to a nonchalant expression.

"You can walk straight back out that door. This club does not accept losers."

A guy in a wheelchair wheeled in, rolling his eyes at Quinn.

"Get off your bitch mode Fabray, we are all losers in here, that's what makes us so great."

A few people who had been scattered around started laughing at his words. Rachel felt at ease then , and was just about to go and sit next to the boy in the wheelchair, when Sam spoke.

"You heard what she said, we don't want you in here."

Rachel's jaw dropped, and it felt like she had been punched in the gut. He wasn't looking at her as he spoke, he was staring at the piano at the back of the room. His voice sounded harsh and cold when he said the words.

Quinn smiled at him in appreciation and gave him a peck on the cheek. Rachel felt the hot sting of tears behind her eyes. He realised he acted different around his girlfriend, but did he really have to be that different? She knew if she didn't get out of here right now, they would all have the satisfaction of her tears.

She spun around on her heels , ready to dart out of the room, when she ran into Blaine who was then walking in. He held her firmly by the arms and looked into her eyes.

"Woah. What's the hurry? You can't leave yet."

Her arms tingled at his touch, and she did feel safer, better now that he was here. She looked into his eyes, she hadn't noticed just how huge they were earlier, and tried to get her breathing back to normal.

"I… I'm sorry Blaine. I can't stay."

His jaw set in a hard line as he looked past her, into the direction of Quinn and Sam. He let his hands drop from her arms, and grabbed one of her hands instead, marching her over to the front of the room. Rachel looked down at the floor, unable to look at anyone.

"I asked Rachel to come today. We need a new member , and some people are scaring any potential members away." Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could tell he was looking at Quinn when he said it. "We are Glee club, and it is about time you all started acting like it. We do not intimidate anyone in this room, got it?"

Nobody answered. Blaine's voice rose at the next words.

"I said have you got it Quinn? I won't hesitate to get you thrown out of this club if I see you do or say anything bad to Rachel again."

Rachel looked up now to see her reaction. She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms across her chest and muttered 'fine'. The room went quiet and the kid in the wheelchair spoke again.

"Maybe you should have that same warning for your best friend as well Blaine. He was the reason she was just about to walk out."

I looked from Blaine to Sam , absolutely shocked.

"Wait… what? You two are best friends?"

Blaine had certainly kept that quiet earlier. How could he have stayed friends with someone who got with his ex girlfriend? For the hundredth time that day, she found herself wishing she was at home with her Dads.

"Thanks Artie, noted." His name was Artie. She had already decided she liked him, he seemed sweet. "Sam, the same goes to you, be nice, or get the hell out."

Sam just stared at his legs, giving no indication if he had even heard what Blaine had just told him. Blaine pulled Rachel over to the chairs, sitting her down beside him.

"So… what are you, like the leader of this club or something?"

She almost whispered to him. She felt fragile and didn't want anyone to hear her talk.

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Not really. Well, I don't know. They sort of elected me leader last year but I don't really know why…. But he is the actual leader."

He pointed to the doorway where a curly haired teacher had just walked in. He had a huge smile on his face and a dimple in his chin. He was the friendliest teacher she had come across so far.

He walked over to the piano and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Right, today, I want you all to take turns in….. " He stopped, looked at her for a moment, his grin getting even bigger. " Oh. Who do we have here?"

Her cheeks went red as everyone looked at her way

"Uh… Rachel B-Berry sir."

"Wonderful, why don't you come on up here and tell us a bit about yourself Rachel?"

She shook her head vigorously.

Blaine piped up next to her.

"Mr Schu, It's her first day. I checked her records and she has been home schooled all her life."

Rachel hung her head, like it was something to be embarrassed about.

"Oh, so that's why she looks like such a freak. I just assumed you had gotten dressed in the dark Berry."

She tried not to let Quinn's words get to her. The truth was, they didn't. It was the laughter coming from Sam at the insult that hurt her.

"So maybe we could go easy on her just for today? She wanted to come check it out and we need a new member so I thought it would be cool to bring her."

Blaine chose to ignore Quinn's harsh comment throughout that, but Mr Schu didn't.

"Quinn, anymore of that and you know where the door is. Thanks for the info Blaine."

The teacher looked at Rachel now.

"I will be kind today, but you realise if you stay in this club you will have to sing eventually?"

Before she could answer, Quinn spoke.

"Mr Schu, that isn't fair. Everyone of us has had to try out to get into this club, why does she get some special pass?"

Blaine leaned over Rachel to glare at Quinn.

"Leave it. You are really out of line."

Mr Schu looked from Quinn to Rachel, clearly torn.

"To be fair, she is right. Everyone in this club had to do a song on their first day , so it wouldn't be fair to bend the rules."

Blaine started protesting.

"But that isn't fair. It's a huge thing for her, she was home schooled. She needs to break into school life gently and if we are all intimidating her into doing something, then she will never want to do anything here."

Rachel was touched at Blaine. He really was trying to defend her. She placed her hand on his arm, noticing how big his bicep actually was.

"It's OK . I understand. I guess I … well…. I don't want to talk up there, but I will sing."

Mr Schu, Artie and Blaine all started clapping as she stood up and walked to stand in front of the piano. Everyone else were giving her daggers. She looked at Mr Schu and shrugged.

"What song do I sing?"

His smile was kind.

"Any song you like Rachel."

She nodded, and thought about it for a second. Then she looked up at the dimpled teacher again, her cheeks still slightly pink from earlier.

"I don't even know if I can sing… I uh… I don't really listen to popular music. I guess I could do something from Broadway. I love Broadway."

She couldn't help grinning to herself as she said this , forgetting for a moment that she was facing a room of mostly angry high school students.

"Broadway sounds fab. Whenever you are ready."

She watched him as he walked over to the seat she had just vacated so he could be a spectator. She took a deep breath , and started singing the first lines.

"**On my own**

**Pretending he's beside me**

**All alone I walk with him till morning**

**Without him I feel his arms around me**

**And when I lose my way I close my eyes**

**And he has found me**

This was probably her favourite song, from the Broadway show Les Miserables. She sung it sometimes in her room, she related to the words. It didn't matter that she hadn't been in love like Epinone, the song just reminded her of being alone.

**In the rain the pavement shines like silver**

**All the lights are misty in the river**

**In the darkness the trees are full of starlight**

**And all I see is him and me forever and forever**

It was like some kind of a therapy actually, singing like this**. **She had her eyes open and yet, she couldn't see anyone else. It was just her and the song**.**

**And I know it's only in my mind**

**That I'm talking to myself and not to him**

**And although I know that he is blind**

**Still I say there's a way for us**

**I love him**

**But when the night is over**

**He is gone, the river's just a river**

**Without him the world around me changes**

**The trees are bare and everywhere**

**The streets are full of strangers**

**I love him**

**But every day I'm learning**

**All my life I've only been pretending**

**Without me, his world will go on turning**

**A world that's full of happiness**

**That I have never known**

**I love him**

**I love him**

**I love him**

**But only on my own**

She was shocked out of the trance like state she had just been in at the sound of loud applause. She took a few moments to remember where she was, then looked at the ground shyly. She had noticed that not everyone was clapping. Quinn wasn't , which was to be expected really, but neither was Sam.

Suddenly , she felt strong arms wrap around her in a hug.

"Rachel, oh my God. That was…. Oh wow. You were incredible. Do you seriously not know how good you are?"

She pulled back a little from the hug so she could look at Blaine while she spoke. She still felt shy, but she was smiling. He was looking at her like she had invented a cure for death or something.

"Was I good? I don't know… I have never really sang in front of anyone." She shrugged her shoulders, and he pulled her back into the hug. He smelt different to how Sam had. Blaine smelt of Peppermint and hair gel. It was nice. She loosely hugged him back, not really wanting to touch him too much. She wasn't used to physical contact.

Mr Schu came walking up to them and told them to go and sit back in their seats.

"You weren't just good, I have never heard anything like that. Wow. You have to stay in the club now."

Rachel bit her lip, thinking about it.

"Blaine is right Rachel. We would be honoured to make you a permanent member. You have some serious talent. Just think about it, OK ?"

She nodded, smiling at the teacher who so far, was her favourite.

She just watched for the rest of the session as everyone took turns to sing. She was gutted there wasn't time to hear Blaine or Sam sing, those were the only two she were really bothered about.

As the Glee club all got their things together and started saying their goodbyes, Blaine turned to her , still smiling.

"So uh… as you know, I checked your personal records earlier."

She nodded. Was it only her who didn't talk as much as other kids her age? Was she a freak? She just couldn't seem to find anything to say sometimes. She wanted to ask how he had gotten into her records when he was just a student, and why he was looking through hers, she wasn't interesting. But no words came.

"And I noticed you have a car to drive to school and back. Which is great, because I have to shoot off to another after school activity now, otherwise I would have walked you home."

She couldn't help grinning. She didn't think she had ever seen eyes that gorgeous.

"It's fine. Thanks for thinking of me. It's really sweet of you."

He reached up, touching the bottom of her hair softly.

"I have a funny feeling I'm going to be thinking of you quite a bit from now on Rachel. You really are beautiful. I'll see you tomorrow."

Before she even had time to blush at his words, he had walked out of the choir room. She lost her balance slightly as Quinn pushed past her, Sam trailing along behind her, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Just as he was about to follow Quinn out of the door, he turned round to look at her. He opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head and walked away.

She frowned. Her first day at school had certainly been eventful. She knew she would dream of Blaine tonight. But even though she felt certain of that, she also, somehow knew that Sam would be in her dreams as well.

**A/N - THAT FIRST CHAPTER GOT AN AMAZING RESPONSE FROM YOU GUYS , THANKS SO MUCH!**

TO THE PEOPLE ASKING IF IT IS A SAMCHEL STORY, IT WILL BE PARTLY YES. AS YOU HAVE PROBABLY GATHERED BY NOW, IT WILL BE A LOVE TRIANGLE. 

**I DO HAVE A FULL ROMANTIC SAMCHEL STORY GOING, EIGHTEEN CHAPTERS SO FAR, CALLED SOMETHING. IT IS ON MY PROFILE ON HERE IF ANY SAMCHEL SHIPPERS WANT TO CHECK IT OUT. **

**THANKS AGAIN FOR THE KIND REVIEWS! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Only Hope – 3**

When Rachel arrived home that night, Shelby tried to ask her how school had been. She ignored her, made herself a sandwich to settle her ravenous stomach, and went straight to her room.  
Despite the fact she would get to see Blaine again, she was not looking forward to tomorrow. So far, school was horrible.  
She fell into a restless sleep that night, her head full of Blaine, Sam and bitches like Quinn. By the time her alarm started beeping in the morning, she was dog tired. She yawned, stretched, then grabbed a quick shower.  
She looked through her wardrobe wondering what to wear today. She wanted to fit in, but the trouble was, most of the kids she saw at school yesterday all wore jeans and casual things. Rachel didn't own a single pair of jeans.  
She pulled out a discreet black skirt, the plainest one she had, and teamed it with a navy blue t-shirt that had a gold star on the front. She chose to wear white tights with black pumps , rather than her beloved knee-high socks, and put on a matching white cardigan. She put her hair in a simple side braid, resisted the urge to wear a hat, and went downstairs for breakfast.  
Shelby had already left for work , so she had time to think about things as she ate some porridge and sipped on a coffee.  
Her stomach filled with dread as she forced herself to get in the car Shelby had loaned her as a bribe to get in her good books, and made the ten minute drive to school. She pulled up in the parking lot, rested her head against the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths. If she got through yesterday , she could get through today right?  
She jumped as she heard a knock on her window, and looked out to see Blaine standing there smiling. She grinned back, and jumped out of the car, trying not to be obvious about staring at him. Today, he was wearing a white polo shirt with a black bow tie and black trousers. He looked even better than he had yesterday, and she realised her heart was racing, for once, it wasn't because she was scared of going in to school.  
He leant forward and kissed her on the cheek. His lips felt soft on her skin, and she touched the spot he had just kissed while he spoke.

"Hey! I've been waiting for you. I worried for a minute you weren't going to show after yesterday, then when I saw your car pull up …. I…. well… I'm just glad you came back."

Her shy smile returned, as she once again found herself glancing at his arms. She thought back to yesterday, how he hugged her in the choir room. It felt good.

"I uh… I came to the conclusion that there was one good thing to come back to school for."

He beamed at this, and for a moment, they just looked at each other. For once , Rachel didn't feel shy. She just looked into his eyes and felt all her fear melt away.

"I tried to re-arrange some things today so we can spend some time together. It wasn't fair what you went through yesterday, people can be cruel. So, I can be around for you today if you would like that?"

She nodded, the smile on her lips refusing to disappear.

"That would be good. You didn't have to do that for me though, it must have messed everything up for you."

He shrugged, his face friendly and open.

"Not at all. Believe it or not, it is way more fun spending my day with a beautiful girl than running the astronomy club."

She couldn't help laugh out loud at this.

"You run the astronomy club?"

He winked, and offered his arm to her as they started walking towards the school building.

"That, and a number of other things. Anyway, I do have some good news for you. While looking through your records yesterday, I realised they had given you the locker right next to mine."

She looked at him in surprise as they walked through the corridor. She was very aware right now that their arms were linked together, but she knew it was just in a friendly sort of way. She had seen girls walking around the same way yesterday. It didn't mean anything.

"Really?"

He grinned as they neared the lockers.

"Yes. It must be fate."

They stopped when they reached their ones, and once again, looked at each other. Like yesterday, she had the same problem of not knowing what to say. His intense stare was making her stomach flip inside out, so she just smiled and waited for him to say something.

"It's how I knew what car you would be driving this morning. And I also happen to know that right now, we have History together. So I sort of took it upon myself to get my partner I sit next to in that class to switch seats so you could sit near me. I'm not overtaking or running your life or anything, and I am really sorry if I am overstepping the mark. I just… I thought you could do with a friendly face."

Rachel surprised them both as she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. She whispered thank you in his ear, then pulled away, feeling embarrassed she had just flung herself at him. He didn't seem to mind though. He didn't take his eyes off her as she put some books away in her locker. The bell rang and they started making their way to class.

"Are you sure it's OK to sit near you? Does the person who switched really not mind?"

They were no longer touching now, but they almost were as they walked along side by side. Rachel hadn't noticed anyone staring at her today, but then …. She hadn't noticed anything apart from Blaine.

"No. Actually , you know him. Remember Artie?"

She smiled as she remembered the guy in the wheelchair from Glee club yesterday. Other than Blaine, he was the only one who had wanted her in that club.

"Oh yeah, he was sweet."

Blaine nudged her gently as they walked along.

"Not as sweet as me I hope?"

Instead of giving an actual answer, she just giggled shyly and shook her head, looking down at her shoes as they walked.  
Once in the class, Blaine pulled out the chair for Rachel to sit down on, then sat beside her, still staring at her. He really hadn't stopped looking since he appeared at her car window, she didn't know whether to be flattered or feel self conscious.  
She broke out of her Blaine bubble when she saw Sam walk in. What the hell? Was this guy in every damn class of hers or something? He was wearing his red and white football jersey again, which was to be expected, if he was on the football team, he would be wearing it every day she guessed. He was wearing light blue jeans and his hair looked messier than it had yesterday. She felt confused as he caught her looking , her belly doing another flip. She hated herself for admitting it, but he looked really good.  
He frowned as he made his way over to their table, and for a moment, Rachel thought he was going to say something to her. It was only when he gave Blaine a high five, she remembered that they were best friends.

"Hey dude. I tried calling you last night. Everything OK ?" Sam looked only at Blaine as he spoke, but for some reason, she could sense that he was very aware of her. His body language screamed that he was uncomfortable being this close to her.

"Ah. Sorry about that. Everything is fine, I just had to catch up on some paper work for the super hero club. We have our convention next week and I am way behind."

Rachel scoffed and turned it into a cough as both boys stared at her. The super hero club? Wow, Blaine got more adorable and nerdy with everything he said.

"OK bro. No worries. Just let me know when you are free for a catch up. I need my wingman back. I miss you."

Rachel discreetly watched the two interact and realised that they really were best friends. It was an unlikely pairing, but you could tell they were.

"I miss you too Sam. But whenever I am free, you are with Quinn and when I'm not free , you are. We will work something out. Hey, how about tomorrow lunch? I actually don't have anything on now, the chess club had their championship cancelled so I gave them all a rest and told them to start again next term."

Rachel scoffed again, she couldn't help it. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, trying not to laugh at his offended expression.

"The chess club?"

He digged her gently in the ribs with his elbow, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

"I'm a dork. You were going to find out eventually."

Rachel smiled, looking down at her hands.

"I think it's cute."

She almost whispered. It was only when Sam spoke again she remembered they weren't alone.

"Oh uh…. Man. I'm sorry. My lunchtimes are going to pretty full on from today."

Rachel jumped slightly as Sam discreetly touched her foot with his under the table. She looked up at him, her mouth open in shock. He didn't still want her to tutor him surely? Not after the way he had been with her yesterday in Glee club.

"Really? Don't you spend most lunchtimes being dragged along by Quinn? You hate lunch….. You up to something I don't know about?"

Rachel watched as Sam quickly looked at her, and maybe it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn his cheeks turned pink.

"It's a bit embarrassing really but…. I have sort of been failing at one of my subjects, and somebody offered to help me out at lunch until I get the hang of it. And I can't thank them enough for it."

Rachel sat there bewildered, unable to look at either of them. He really was expecting her to still help him even after everything.  
The class hushed as the teacher walked in.

"Sam, go and take a seat please."

As Sam moved away to sit in his seat, Rachel grinned as she saw Mr Schu. She loved him after yesterday, she knew she would look forward to History from now on. Sitting next to Blaine and having Mr Schu for a teacher, this was already her favourite lesson.  
He smiled as he saw Rachel .

"Hello Miss Berry. Welcome to the class, if your History work is anything like your singing, you will be a great addition."

Her cheeks went red as the class all looked at her, Blaine smiling with adoration in his eyes.  
They settled in to the lesson, and to Rachel's disappointment, they had to work in silence throughout. Blaine's hands accidentally on purpose skimmed hers every time they had to turn a page. It sent shivers down her spine whenever they made contact.  
The lesson finished in record time, probably because she had been enjoying it so much.  
As they got their bags and books together, she turned to him, smiling.

"Thanks for everything."

He shrugged, smiling back.

"No need to thank me, I didn't do anything. I have made sure I am free at the end of the day so we can hang out. No Glee club after school so we can do whatever. But until then, we have science together this afternoon. I will be counting down the minutes."

She grinned.

"Me too. Catch you later."

She turned then , walking away from the classroom before she lost courage to go and face the school day alone.  
She spent the morning doing sports, which definitely wasn't her forte, but on the plus side, they had a really strict teacher and there was no chance for anyone to pick on her.  
Then she spent the hour before lunch in a free period in the library. She didn't really need to brush up on anything so instead she went to the comic section, and picked out a superhero story, she wanted to feel close to Blaine.  
When the bell rang signalling lunch, her nerves were in tatters. She had decided in the library that she would go to the English class and see if Sam was there, it seemed like he would be after this morning. She just couldn't figure him out at all. But she decided that hanging around a corridor waiting for somebody was preferable to facing the food hall again, so she made her way there, taking deep breaths as she went along.  
She made it to the class with only one cheerleader knocking the books out of her hand. It was an improvement on yesterday.  
To her surprise, Sam was pacing the empty corridor. He looked up at her, breathing out in relief when he realised she had came. She didn't say anything. She clutched her books tight to her chest and waited for him to speak.

"Follow me."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise as he started walking down the corridor. She followed him closely behind, wondering if she had made the right choice in coming here.  
After a few minutes, they came to an empty class. It looked like it was never used anymore. The chairs were stacked on tables and the room smelt old. She followed him , closing the door behind them.  
He took a chair off the table and indicated she should sit down. She did, placing her books on the table, still not saying anything, and watched as he sat on the chair next to her, his body facing her.  
He looked at her for a few seconds and she could tell that look anywhere. It was guilt. He had guilt written all over his face.

"Look…. Rachel, I'm sorry."

She shrugged, then looked past him , staring at the dusty clock on the wall.

"You think that cuts it?"

He shook his head, startling her as he grabbed her hand. She tried to shake him off, but he held it tight. Not hurting her, just firmly.

"Look at me."

She shook her head.  
She wished she had just looked at him when she felt his other hand on her chin, gently angling her face so she had no choice but to look at him. His eyes were full of remorse. He looked sincere.  
Once he had her attention, his hand dropped from her chin, and now both of his hands had hers.

"There was no excuse for yesterday in Glee club. No excuse. I couldn't sleep all night. I felt awful."

She rolled her eyes.

"I doubt you felt as awful as me. I spent the night reliving your girlfriends insults in my head. Hearing your laughter."

He flinched at her words. It wasn't strictly true, she had spent the night mostly thinking of Blaine. But she wanted to make him feel bad, he deserved it.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back, but I can't."

She shook her hands away, this time successfully and sighed.  
She started fiddling with her braid out of nerves.

"Listen, I don't want to hear it. It can't be taken back. It hurt me. Your girlfriend is a grade A bitch and I am completely shocked that someone like you, somebody who seems decent underneath all that shit, would be with her. But you are, and that is just the way it is. Here is the deal, I will teach you Math at lunch. I know it breaks the stereotype of a typical high school girl, but I don't like inflicting pain on others, and I don't want to see you suffering."

His smile was dazzling, and her heart ached for a second. Why couldn't he be like this all the time?

"But I have conditions."

He stopped smiling, looked worried for a moment, and nodded his head, showing he was listening.

"I will help you until you are no longer struggling with it. But when I help you, we are not friends. You made it very clear that you have no wish to be associated with me , and it's fine. Just do not pretend we are friends at lunch, then go back to giving me hell when Quinn is around, because I won't have it."

He ran a hand through his hair, he looked desolate for a moment. And handsome. Very handsome.

"Rachel… I…."

She held up a hand to silence him.

"I'm not finished. So at lunch, we talk about Math and only Math. And outside of lunch, we do not exist to each other. Which means no speaking, no anything, definitely no joining in while your girlfriend bullies me. No nothing Sam. And if you are ever cruel to me again, whether Quinn is around or not, I won't hesitate to tell her just who you are spending your lunchtimes with. OK ?"

He was silent for a moment, then hung his head. He shook it slightly, then muttered 'fine' under his breath before reaching for his bag.

"Before we start, I got you this."

He took out a clear plastic lunchbox filled with food and a juice carton, and slid it along the table towards her. She opened up the Math book and pushed the box and drink back to him, shaking her head.

"I don't want it."

His mouth hung open, and he pushed it back.

"Rachel, come on. Don't be like that. You have to eat. I made it for you this morning. I spent ages trying to figure out what you would like. Just take it."

She shook her head again, but left the box where it was. She didn't have the energy to fight with him anymore.

"I said no. I don't want anything from you Sam."

She tried not to be bothered by the pain in his eyes as she struggled to remember what page he had been stuck on yesterday.

"Right…. Page thirty three. Let's get started."

For the rest of the lunch, Sam didn't say a word, he only listened as Rachel explained how she had worked the page out and how if you done it a certain way, it became easy.

She was pleased to see that by the end of just the first session, he already had nearly every single question on the page right.

When the bell rang signalling the end of lunch, she picked her books up from the table, slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the room without a backwards glance, leaving Sam to watch her as she walked away.

**A/N - THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE KID REVIEWS GUYS, YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!**

**BLAME BLAM - THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW, PLEASE KEEP READING TO SEE THE TWIST IN STORE :-)  
****GUEST - SORRY FOR THE LACK OF ARTIE/RACHEL IN THIS CHAPTER, THEY MAKE A SWEET FRIENDSHIP AND I WILL TRY AND INCLUDE THEM IN FUTURE,MAINLY IN GLEE CLUB SESSIONS. THANKS ALSO FOR THE REVIEW.  
BLAMCHEL AND AVID READER - GREAT TO SEE YOU ARE READING ANOTHER OF MY STORIES, YOU ARE STARS! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Only Hope – 4**

The afternoon was pretty uneventful for Rachel. To her frustration, she didn't get to speak to Blaine much at all during science, they had to write the conclusion to the experiment they had done yesterday in silence. She did notice that he had moved his stool right up next to hers, and as they worked, their legs were touching. She tried to concentrate on what she was writing, but it was hard being this close, touching Blaine but not able to speak to him.

At the end of the day, he was waiting at the lockers for her, a huge grin on his face.

"So, what do you want to do now then? I have been looking forward to hanging out with you all day."

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing what to say.

He studied her for a moment, then grinned.

"I know what we can do. What time do you have to be back?"

She thought of Shelby, and shrugged her shoulders again.

"It doesn't matter. The less time I spend at home the better."

She could tell he was just about to ask her about it. He looked concerned. She didn't want to have to explain it though, and luckily, they were interrupted.

"I hate to break up this little weird nerd thing you have going on here, but gel head, you are wanted."

Rachel looked at the girl. She was one of the Glee club members. She was also a cheerleader. She definitely had some sort of attitude about her yesterday, she had been made to sing and she looked like she could have murdered Mr Schu when he asked her to the front. But she was really talented. In fact, if Rachel remembered rightly, she had never taken her eyes off a blonde cheerleader while she was singing, and you could see every emotion on her face.

"Are you ever going to call me by my name Santana?"

Santana, that was it.

"Not while you have that much gel on your head no. And even if you stop wearing gel, I am sure I can come up with something else for you. "

He rolled his eyes, and leaned back against the lockers. Rachel smiled at the floor as he linked her hand. Their fingers interlocked together perfectly. It just felt right. And it was amazing how safe, how protected she felt whenever she was with him.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

"Principle Sue wants to talk to you. Something about the school presidential votes or something. I don't know…. I wasn't listening."

Rachel looked up now as Blaine's eyes widened. He looked from her, to Santana, and back to her.

"Oh wow. Rachel…. I am so sorry. You are going to hate me. I sort of…. Uh… I entered in to be president for the school, and I totally forgot Principle Sue wanted to talk to me about it today. I really hate to do this to you but…. Ah man."

He banged his head on the locker and groaned in frustration.

Rachel squeezed his hand, reassuring him.

"Hey, it's fine. Seriously, don't worry."

His huge eyes looked into hers, and he did a pretend sad pouty face that made her melt.

"This sucks. I really wanted to spend time with you. Well, we have Glee club tomorrow after school so at least we will have some sort of time together then."

Rachel was just about to say it's fine, when Santana groaned beside them.

"This is disgusting. Why am I still standing here? Gel head getting his flirt on. Ew."

Blaine rolled his eyes, then let go of Rachel's hand, pointing at Santana.

"You!"

Santana's eyes narrowed.

"Me what?"

He looked at Rachel again, then back at Santana.

"You can help me out. Rachel needs a friend in this place, and you would be perfect. You can hang out with her while I go check what this president thing is all about. Please Santana, it will take my mind off abandoning her. It will stop me feeling less guilty."

Santana threw her a filthy look. Rachel knew the thought was horrendous to both girls so she stepped forward, placing her hand on Blaine's muscled arm. She done it accidentally on purpose. She just really wanted to touch him.

"Blaine, it's OK . I'm not a charity case. I'm just going to head home."

A look of guilt flashed across his face at her words.

"I know you aren't a charity case Rachel. I just feel really bad about ditching you like this and hey, it would be good to have at least a few friends at a new school right? Santana's not such a bitch when you get to know her."

"Uh… I'm still here. I have ears."

Rachel smiled kindly at both of them, then leant forward and placed a very gentle kiss on his cheek. She was trembling as she did so, but he had been so kind that she wanted him to feel OK about leaving her.

"Don't worry. I will see you tomorrow."

He smiled back, but still looked guilty. She had just started walking down the hall when she heard Santana's voice.

"Wait."

She turned in surprise to face the pretty latino girl. Blaine had started walking down the corridor in the opposite direction, but when he heard Santana speak, he turned around, winked at Rachel, then walked off whistling to himself.

"Do you have a car, dwarf?"

Rachel nodded, her eyes wide.

"Did you just call me dwarf?"

"Obviously I did yes. Right, so that's a yes to the car?"

She nodded again, wondering if she would ever find her voice at this school.

"OK , here's the deal. You impressed me yesterday in Glee club. You rubbed Quinn's nose right out of joint, and anyone who does that is on to a winner with me."

Rachel raised an eyebrow in question. Santana laughed, and to her surprise, linked arms with her as they started walking down the corridor.

"Long story. She stole my head cheerleader crown and we have been at war ever since. She thinks she runs the school and I could tell you had thrown her out of sync yesterday. I also found it hysterical how her boyfriend trouty mouth couldn't take his eyes off you."

Rachel gasped, and stared at Santana in shock.

"What?"

Santana nodded, a sly smile on her face.

"Yep. It seems like trouty has a crush. Hilarious. I mean no offence, but he goes out with the most popular girl in this school, and he can't stop staring at you, a weird little home schooled dwarf who has a liking for outfits my dead great grandmother wouldn't even be seen dead in. And like I said…. She's dead. "

Rachel frowned as they walked out of the school and into the parking lot. She shook her head.

"It's not like that. He doesn't fancy me. We just had a bit of an argument that's all. He was horrible to me, didn't you hear him? He said he didn't want me in the club."

Santana shook her head now, rolling her eyes as they walked along.

"Trust me , I know. I'm a people watcher. I saw him moon over Quinn for months and now he is doing the same with you. And he never speaks up in Glee club, let alone to tell somebody to get out. He fancies you. Which one is your car?"

Rachel thought this must be a trick question as hers was the only one left in the parking lot. She pointed to it anyway and they walked over to it, both climbing in.

"So here is the deal, I respect you for the Quinn drama, and you sang the shit out of On My Own. I don't have any friends."

Rachel looked at her as she started up the engine.

"I'm sure that's not true."

Santana laughed, plugging her seat belt in.

"Oh it's true. There is only one person at that school who gives me the time of day. Brittany. I will have to introduce you tomorrow at Glee club. Anyway, I don't have any friends, and you and I might just get on. Everyone hates you , well , apart from trouty mouth and gel head, and everyone hates me, so on that basis, I figure we should hang out."

Rachel smiled as she backed out of the parking lot. It came to something weird when this was the nicest girl she had met at school yet.

"Well with that generous offer of friendship, how could I refuse?. What do you want to do?"

For just a second , Rachel saw pain in the girls eyes.

She shrugged.

"Anything but go home."

Rachel nodded , agreeing with her.

"Ditto. Let's go grab a milkshake or something."

They spent the next two hours in a small diner not far from the school. Rachel was surprised to find that underneath the insults and her inability to smile, Santana was actually pretty cool. Her eyes lit up as she told her all about Brittany, and even though she wasn't brave enough to ask about the relationship, Rachel could tell she was in love with her.

Eventually she dropped her new 'friend' back home and spent the night redoing work she had already done at school to avoid talking to Shelby.

When the next day dawned, she woke up, showered quickly and yet again tried to pick the plainest thing in her wardrobe. It turned out to be a red dress that she teamed with black tights. It was warm out today so she didn't need a cardigan, and she left her hair loose again.

She found Blaine at their lockers. Another day, another polo shirt and a bow – tie. Mint green this time. He looked scrummy and she couldn't help admiring how tight his red pants were as she walked over to join him.

"Hey gorgeous." He flashed her a megawatt smile.

She opened up her locker, hiding her head so he didn't see her blush.

"Hey you."

She closed the locker door once throwing some books inside, and gasped as he pulled her to him. He held her hand, his grin getting wider the longer they stood there staring at each other.

Rachel was very aware of their bodies touching. Every part of her felt like it was on fire. She didn't even realise they were in a crowded corridor. It felt like nothing else even mattered.

"So uh… Oh wow. I am really , really bad at doing this stuff. But erm…. wow, you look beautiful. Oh my God. I'm sorry. I will focus. Hold on."

She couldn't help giggling as he struggled to get the words out. It wasn't like him to be so …. Unsure.

He took a deep breath, and squeezed her hand gently.

"I have probably been coming on a bit too strong… I'm sorry."

Rachel shook her head, almost too quickly.

"Don't apologize. You are the reason I have dragged myself out of bed the last few mornings."

She didn't think it was possible for him to smile any wider, but he did.

"Well uh… in that case, would you…. what I'm trying to say is…. Shit. Pull it together Anderson."

She giggled again, she didn't mean to, he was just acting completely adorable.

"Will you go on a date with me this Saturday evening Rachel Berry?"

She smiled, reached forward and kissed him gently on the cheek, she didn't feel as nervous doing it today as she had yesterday.

"Of course."

The bell rang then, and she wanted to stay with him so desperately that it was easier to just pull away and hurry down the corridor. She didn't glance back, she knew she would end up running back to him.

She walked into her Math class, her stomach turning as she saw Sam sitting there. He didn't acknowledge her as she walked in, and it was fine, it was how she had asked it to be. Anyway, Quinn was sitting behind him, scowling at her , so she knew they couldn't have spoken anyway.

She felt the tension radiating from Sam during the whole lesson. When the bell rang, he bolted from his chair, nearly knocking her over as she stood up to sort her bag out. As she picked up her Math textbook, a folded letter was underneath, just lying there on the table. She picked it up, her forehead creasing in puzzlement.

**Rachel**

Her name was written in Sam's signature scrawl. She knew it was his writing because of all the lessons she sat next to him in. As it was the fifteen minute break, she hurried to the girls toilets, locked herself in a cubicle and opened the letter with shaking hands. Her heart was racing as she read the words.

_**Rachel,  
As you won't let me explain in person, I thought I should write you a letter. It will be easier for me anyway, I'm not good with this stuff face to face.  
I tried to tell you how sorry I am. I am sorry Rachel. When you walked in to Math that first day, it wasn't just because Quinn was sitting behind me that made me act the way I did. It was because when you walked in, my heart ... my heart just sort of flipped and I have seen nothing but you since. It was like you put a spell on me or something.  
Then in Glee club, I didn't want you to be there. It was too hard for me to see you in that room and not be able to speak to you. We had just had a great time in English, and I realised that not only were you stunning, you had the personality to match.  
You, walking into my life was the absolute last thing I needed. I had/have a girlfriend. I thought I was happy. I don't know why you have made me feel so…. I just don't know.  
I didn't laugh when Quinn insulted you. Well , I did, but not at you. I was laughing because her insult was wrong. She insulted the clothes you were wearing, and I found it funny because I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  
And while I am on the subject of clothes, I noticed you had toned it down yesterday. You still looked beautiful, but it wasn't you. Please don't tone it down. Be yourself. It's what makes you so special.  
I can't spend every lunch with you knowing you hate me.  
I don't know how to express myself. I don't know how to say what I am trying to say. I have a girlfriend Rachel. I don't know what this situation is. I don't know why you made me feel weak, why I haven't stopped thinking about you since the moment you walked into Math, and I don't know anything anymore.  
I will wait for you today outside the classroom at lunch. It is up to you if you turn up or not. If you don't show today, then I will put it all behind me and move on. We can be the strangers you wanted us to be.  
If you do show, then…. I don't know….  
I need you to make this choice for me. It's too hard. I don't know what's going on, I don't know why I feel like this, so I am laying it all at your door.  
Like I said, I will be waiting.  
Sam.**_

Rachel re-read the letter twice before the bell rang signalling the start of her geography lesson. The letter was the only thing on her mind all morning. She realised as the seconds edged nearer to lunch time that she hadn't even thought of Blaine since the letter.

Why did Sam have to lay this at her door? What was she going to do? In the end, she decided, that for both of them, it would be easier to walk away. He could forget about her, and she could go back to being wrapped up in Blaine. It would be easier all around. It would even be easier for Quinn. Not that Rachel wanted to do anything for Quinn, she was just trying to think of all the reasons it would be better to walk away.

After all that reasoning, she couldn't figure out why she had automatically made her way to the classroom at lunch time. She didn't really have a choice in the matter. Sam had given her permission to walk away. He had basically told her to do it. But she couldn't do it.

Her breath caught as she saw him hovering outside the classroom. When he saw her, his whole face changed. He went from brooding and moody to the happiest guy on the planet.

He closed the gap between them and rested a hand on her shoulder, so lightly she could barely feel it. His eyes were full of emotion as he smiled down at her.

"You came?"

It was more of a question than a statement. She shrugged, and smiled up at him.

"I had to."

He nodded, and to her complete astonishment, leant forward and kissed her gently on the top of her head. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her into their classroom.

**A/N - THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS. I TRY TO PM EVERYONE WHO ISN'T A GUEST REVIEWER, AND TO ALL THE GUEST REVIEWERS WHO I CAN'T PM, THANK YOU SO MUCH! PLEASE KEEP READING. XXX**


	5. Chapter 5

**Only Hope – 5**

Rachel couldn't take her eyes off Sam as they both sat down in the same seats they had sat in yesterday. She didn't know what to think of anything. He took his textbook out of his bag, along with the plastic lunchbox from yesterday and a juice carton, and pushed it over to her, his cheeks pink.

"It's fresh. It's not the one from yesterday."

She still just stared at him. She didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth to say something, and he looked away from her, gazing out of the window.

"Sam?"

He continued looking out of the window, giving no sign he had even heard her.

Her hand was trembling as she reached over and tugged on his football jersey. When that didn't work, she touched his cheek. That got his attention. He looked at her now.

"Are we going to talk about… about the letter?"

Even though he didn't break eye contact, she knew he felt uncomfortable, his pink cheeks were going a deep red now. She wanted to put him at ease.

"We don't have to. I just thought…. I just don't know where we go from here? What do we do now?"

He shrugged, and she dropped her hand from his face , holding his hand gently instead. It was weird holding Sam's hand. It didn't feel a perfect fit like it did with Blaine… but it still felt right.

"Well, you should eat. Because you are tiny enough, I really don't want you starving because you are helping me on my conscience. And… I don't know. I guess you eat, teach me some Math and then we go about our daily lives."

"And that's it? Eat, do Math, Watch you struggle with whatever ….this is?"

He nodded, and squeezed her hand, then let go, opening the textbook to the page he needed to be on.

"I meant everything I said in the letter. But just because I meant it, doesn't mean we can do anything about it. There isn't really anything to be said now. You came, I didn't expect you to, but you did. And I am so glad you did Rachel. But…. I'm with Quinn."

"But you don't love Quinn?"

He sighed, sinking down into his chair a little bit. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it.

"I love what being with her does for me. We are on top. We are untouchable. And she's pretty."

She took the juice box , opened it and took a long sip, her mouth felt dry.

"Wow Sam. Just when I think there is something to you, you turn into the shallow jock I thought you were."

He glanced at her, full of anger.

"You asked if I loved her. What do you want me to do? Lie?"

She scoffed, shaking her head.

"No. I want you to be a better person. I want you to not string innocent girls along, even Quinn. She doesn't deserve that."

His anger didn't die down as he frowned at her. He was very defensive. He wasn't the guy who had just sweetly walked her into the class, or the guy who had written her that letter. He was the Sam she didn't like now.

"Oh don't kid yourself. She benefits from it as well. You are naïve if you think she loves me. She doesn't. Three weeks ago I caught her making out with her 'ex' Noah Puckerman over by the lockers, and she claimed he was choking and she was saving his life. We stay together Rachel, because it's convenient. It helps us both. I started off with good intentions, I thought she was amazing. It's only after months of being with her I saw it for what it is. She used me way before I ever used her. And why do you even care about her getting hurt? She hates you."

She shrugged now. She was done with the conversation. Why did being with Sam always make her feel drained and confused?

"Fine. If you are happy being in that kind of relationship, don't let me stop you. And Quinn doesn't hate me. She has no reason to hate me, I haven't done anything to her. She's just insecure and looking for somebody to take it out on. I'm an easy target . Right, so … where we yesterday?"

She ignored him staring at her as she set to work on the book. She noticed yesterday that he hadn't had anything to eat either. She opened the lunchbox, smiled at the PB+J sandwiches because they were her favourite, and gave him half. He grinned , and that grin was enough to make her heart melt. If only he could be that Sam all the time.

They worked while they ate, and yet again, Sam got the hang of the algebra pretty quickly. He found it easy once she explained how she worked it out. All too soon , the bell rang for the end of lunch. Rachel felt more confused than she had when she first walked into this classroom with him.

They gathered their things together, and she smiled at him, resisting the urge to touch him.

"Thanks for lunch Sam."

He beamed , yet again making Rachel feel like she had a thousand butterflies in her belly.

"No worries. Thanks for the help. I guess I will see you in Glee club later."

They headed out of the class, and started walking down the corridor, she was surprised he was still walking along side her, she hoped they wouldn't bump into Quinn.

"Yeah. I guess you will."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and she was just about to turn and walk away from him, when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me or are my two favourite people talking?"

She felt giddy as Blaine's arm slipped around her shoulders. Sam's face turned to stone as he looked at his best friend then at her.

"She just bumped in to me. I was telling her to get the fuck away from me."

Rachel's mouth fell open at the harsh tone of his voice. How could he change in a matter of seconds?

"What? No I….. what?"

He threw her a filthy look, muttered 'see you later' to Blaine and walked off down the corridor. She watched him go, her heart rate and her anger rising, then turned to Blaine, timidly wrapping her arms around him in a hug. She wanted to cry. She buried her head in his shoulder as he held her, rubbing soothing patterns into her back.

"Hey. Sssshhhh. It will get easier. I will have a word with Sam, tell him to sort it out. He might be my best friend but that was a jerk move."

She sighed, and pulled him closer, not caring that people were knocking into them as they walked down the corridor. She breathed in his scent of mint and hair gel and felt calmer again. The effect he had on her was amazing.

"It's fine. Don't go falling out with anyone over me."

He tilted her chin up so she was looking at him, and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"He was wrong Rachel. He shouldn't speak to people like that."

She reluctantly pulled away from him, she would be late for her next class if she stayed here any longer.

"Honestly, it's fine. I wasn't looking where I was going. It was entirely my fault. I will see you in Glee club later OK ?"

He still looked concerned, but a small smile appeared on his lips. She wondered briefly what his lips would feel like if they kissed. Not just a quick peck on the cheek, but an actual real fairy tale kiss. She knew it would be magical.

"You sure will."

She smiled at him now, knowing she was going to miss his face in the next few lessons.

"I want to hear you sing today."

He grinned.

"Deal."

They both walked away then, down the nearly empty corridors, hoping to make it before they were officially marked as late.

The minutes dragged by slowly that afternoon, she desperately wanted to be in Glee club, back with Blaine. She couldn't wait to see him sing. Also, she had to admit, in a weird way, she was looking forward to seeing Santana again. She had worried that maybe she would ignore her today, but the worry came to nothing when she walked into the choir room and Santana came bounding up to her, giving her a quick hug and dragged her over to the chair next to her.

She realised it was for the benefit of Quinn who was scowling at both of them, but regardless of the reasons, it felt good to not be alone until Blaine got here.

She watched as Sam walked in , sat next to Quinn and seemed oblivious to everything else around him. She watched the two of them interact, and from what she could make out, Sam didn't get a word in. Artie came in after a while, sitting the other side of Rachel.

"Hey girl, you came back!"

She smiled at him.

"Yeah. I have this ability to really annoy certain people." She glanced at Quinn as she spoke, Artie and Santana got what she meant and grinned. "So I thought I may as well use that ability. As horrible as it is to listen to her insults and see her scowling at me, it would be worse not turning up. That would mean she won."

Artie high fived her.

"This is the start of a beautiful Glee club friendship Rachel Berry! Hey Tina, come here, come and meet the new girl properly."

Rachel was introduced to Tina, and she actually seemed really sweet. The club didn't seem as intimidating as it had the other day. When Brittany walked in, Santana introduced her, and the look of love in her eyes absolutely melted Rachel.

"Hey Britt. This is my best friend. I call her Dwarf."

The blonde cheerleader raised an eyebrow, but smiled and shook Rachel's hand.

"You have a friend Santana? I mean…. Other than me? Wow, Rachel must be special to get through to your steel heart."

Santana grinned and shrugged.

"Our friendship works based on most people hating us."

Britt looked puzzled as she looked at Rachel, Artie and Tina.

"She doesn't look very hated."

Santana shrugged again.

"Well…. Her and Quinn are enemies, so in my book , that is a good enough reason to be friends with her."

They all laughed then, checking that Quinn and Sam weren't listening. It was safe, Quinn was still chewing Sam's ear off about something.

Just then Blaine walked in, a huge smile on his face. When he saw Rachel in the middle of a bunch of people, his grin became even wider.

"What's going on here then?"

"Ah if it isn't gel head. We were just saying how Rachel being so unpopular makes her instantly popular with us."

Artie laughed, then looked at Santana in confusion.

"You do know we all like you in here right? What is all this about us hating you?!"

Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Artie, save your breath. I try to tell her that . But she obviously likes playing this tortured soul thing so …. I just mostly let her get on with it."

Blaine laughed, then looked at Rachel, a sad pout on his face. He looked adorable when he acted all sad.

"Wait, does this mean I can't sit near you? Are you too popular for me now Miss Berry?"

Rachel wanted to sit near him, but she was too afraid to tell Santana to move and Artie was lovely so she didn't want to make him move either.

Suddenly, she heard Sam's voice from across the room.

"Cool it down dude, you look desperate."

Blaine looked shocked at his 'best friends' words, and Rachel's anger grew. Even Quinn was looking at her boyfriend with a look of puzzlement.

She stood up, squeezed past Artie and went and sat on the front row with Blaine. It made him smile again, but she could sense that Sam's words had really bothered him.

She held his hand, squeezed it gently and reached over to kiss him on the cheek. She was growing to like doing that now, it still scared her, touching a guy like that, but she also had no choice. She wanted to do it. She had to do it.

"I can't wait for our date on Saturday."

She almost whispered to him, so nobody else could hear them, she felt uncomfortable when she realised Sam was still staring at them, but luckily Mr Schu came in , ready to start the lesson.

She nudged Blaine gently, leaning in to him a bit.

"When are you going to sing?"

He chuckled.

"Soon beautiful."

To everyone's surprise, Sam stood up , walking over to the piano.

"Uh, If Mr Schu doesn't mind, I would like to do a song."

Mr Schu gestured for him to go ahead and sat down , waiting for him to sing.

"I wanted to invite Blaine up to do the song with me. I'm sorry bro, you have to just… ignore me at the moment. I have a lot on and I am becoming snappy, but that is no reason to treat my best friend like shit so…."

"Ah Sam, no cursing in this room" Mr Schu looked stern, Sam shrugged in what Rachel guessed was an apology.

Blaine sat there for a few moments thinking about it, then walked up to the piano to join Sam. They had a quick 'bro' hug, then started singing.

It was weird for Rachel watching them both sing. The two of them were so different, but they really worked well together.

She smiled as they sang one of her favourite songs , Heroes by David Bowie. Sam was intense and brooding, and his voice was enough to make anyone's knees weak. Blaine was a full on showman , his voice silky smooth, and he knew how to work the crowd.

The whole choir room was silent as they watched the boys perform, and by the end of the song, everyone was on their feet, clapping like mad.

When Blaine walked back over to his seat, she gave him a hug.

"You were amazing."

He shrugged, smiling lazily at her.

"I had nothing on you. You were stunning the other day, that was just average."

She laughed.

"Don't talk daft. I could never make anything look that hot."

Her cheeks went bright red as she realised that not only had she said that out loud, the whole room had heard. She looked down at her legs feeling mortified, but not before she noticed Sam giving her daggers. Blaine couldn't hide his smile.

Luckily Mr Schu started singing an awful rap song so everyone quickly forgot about what she had just said. At the end of the session , everyone started filing out of the choir room. Santana came over to them, smiling shyly.

"Listen dwarf, it was awful hanging out with you yesterday after school, so I thought maybe…. You wanna do it again tonight?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, smiling back at her.

"Yet again Santana, you blow me away with your compliments. Fine. Let's go. But you are paying for the milkshakes today."

Blaine smiled at the two of them, and kissed Rachel on the head.

"You two have fun, I have to go. I will see you tomorrow gorgeous."

Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Not that I want to do this, but if you have to, you can come with us. But if either of you flirt near me, I will be forced to stab my eyes out with a pen."

Blaine laughed, and shook his head.

"Thanks. But I have to go come up with some ideas to raise money for the arts class. And anyway, the thought of sharing Rachel with someone else, even you, is unbearable. I get her all to myself on Saturday night so I will have to wait until then. Catch you later girls."

Rachel grinned as he walked out of the choir room. Santana moaned and jabbed her in the ribs.

"Quit looking at his ass Berry, I am seriously going to puke in a minute. I have to go grab something from my locker, I will meet you out in the parking lot."

She walked out, leaving Rachel by herself to gather up her things. Or at least she thought she was by herself. She jumped as Sam stood up. He had been sitting in the corner, she thought he had left.

"You and Blaine are going out Saturday night huh?"

His voice was still cold, harsh like earlier. She wondered if she had been imagining the times when he was soft and gentle.

She shrugged, not wanting to look at him.

"What about it?"

He walked over to her, so close they were almost touching. He looked angry. She couldn't help but stare as he looked down at her , his jaw line clenching.

"You came earlier Rachel. You came to me. You can't just go on a date with him."

What was it about him that made her so annoyed all the time, she took a deep breath, and tried to keep her voice calm.

"First of all, yes I came. Me teaching you Math has nothing to do with Blaine and I. Second of all, I thought you wanted me to…. What was it? Oh yeah, 'get the fuck away from you'. So …. That's exactly what I am doing Sam. Getting the fuck away from you. I will see you tomorrow at lunch. Get your Math brain on."

She saw the veins in his hand as he clutched the strap on his bag. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

She stepped away from him, needing to create some distance.

"All I have heard from you since I joined this school is sorry. And I'm tired of it. You owe me nothing. Stop saying sorry. I can't keep going round in circles like this Sam. Every time I think you are decent, you turn around and show me what a jerk you can be. So let's just keep it as what it is. Tutoring. You carry on being a jerk, I will carry on being a walk over, and then I know where I stand. No more letters, no more nice Sam, no more touches or looks. I can't take it. Whatever the hell it was we had between us… it's gone."

She knew the words had hurt him. She saw the pain in his eyes just before she walked out of the choir room. When she reached the door, she stopped as he spoke.

"Don't do this Rachel. Don't go out with him. We both know that whatever this is…. It's not over."

That was the voice. It was the 'Sam' voice. The warmth made her heart ache and her legs feel like jelly. She couldn't find any words to say.

She walked away without looking back.


	6. Chapter 6

**Only Hope – 6**

The next day at school passed without incident for Rachel. She was surprised, but relieved at how calm it was. She tutored Sam at lunch, and they didn't say a word to each other that wasn't related to the subject. Yet again, he had every single question right by the end of lunch, and they had shared the PB + J sandwiches again, but other than that, it was like they were strangers.

Blaine had a particularly busy day and much to Rachel's dismay, she hardly saw him. She did however, go and grab some milkshakes with Santana again. Those few hours with her made going to school worthwhile, she had never really had a close girl friend before so this was definitely an aspect of school that she was very much enjoying.

Friday soon came round, and yet again, no incidents of any kind. The tutoring at lunch was strictly professional, Blaine was here , there and everywhere and Santana threatened to push a cheerio's head down the toilet if they shoved Rachel into the lockers one more time.

It was the last session of the week for Glee club, so she made her way to the choir room with Santana linking her arm and rambling on about something her and Brittany did two years ago.

When they walked into the room, Santana went to sit next to her beloved Britt. Blaine was there before them for once, so Rachel went and sat next to him. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Just one more day. Make sure you bring some hiking shoes."

Rachel raised her eyebrow in question.

"Oh, and a torch. I think I only have one. It's better to have two. Oh and maybe… extra layers in case I don't bring enough. Yes, definitely bring extra layers. If you freeze to death on our date, it won't make a great first impression so…."

She giggled , shaking her head.

"I am definitely worried. Blaine, I am wearing a blue polka dot dress, grey chunky knitted tights and pumps. Do I look like the kind of girl to go hiking?"

He smirked , looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I said bring some hiking shoes. I didn't say anything about going hiking."

She laughed again. He was infectious to be around. Her laughter soon changed to a frown as Quinn walked in, taking her usual seat in the choir room. Mr Schu came in next , ready to start the lesson. Rachel wondered where Sam was, he had definitely been at school today, she had tutored him at lunch and sat silently next to him throughout English.

She didn't have to wonder for too long, just a few seconds later he appeared at the doorway.

He didn't have his football jersey on. Just a plain white t-shirt and light blue jeans. He walked in, looked over at Quinn, then to Rachel's complete astonishment, came over and sat in the chair right next to her.

Even the teacher stared at him open-mouthed.

Quinn stood up, her face full of anger.

"Uh… what the hell are you doing? Did you bang your head or something?"

Sam leaned back into his chair, gazing at the wall in front of him, looking like he hadn't even heard her.

"Nope. My heads fine. Speaking of hell, maybe you should go there. Check it out, see what's going on , that kinda thing."

Rachel's jaw fell open at Sam's words, Quinn came marching over so she was standing in front of them.

"Excuse me? What are you playing at?"

He stood up now, facing her. Rachel didn't think she had ever seen him so angry.

"I'm not playing at anything anymore Quinn. I am done with the games. Me and you…. we are over."

For some reason, Quinn glared at Rachel now, folding her arms across her chest. Blaine stood up and tried to get in the middle of Sam and Quinn.

"Come on guys, let's not do this here. You can talk after. Quinn, I'm sure Sam doesn't mean it, go and sit down."

Sam turned his anger to Blaine now.

"Of course I mean it. Stay out of it."

He sat down timidly on the chair, shocked that his best friend was speaking to him like that. To Rachel's relief, Mr Schu came over.

"Quinn, go and sit down, Sam… Blaine is right, now is not the right time to talk about this. And it's not a very honourable thing to do, breaking up with a girl in front of a room full of people."

People started muttering then, agreeing with the teacher. Even Rachel was feeling a little bad for Quinn at this point.

"It's not honourable watching your girlfriend make out with her ex boyfriend either Mr Schu, but sometimes, you just have to go with it."

Quinn started crying now. Well, it was a fake cry , but she faked it pretty well.

"It wasn't like that Sam. You didn't let me explain. He had a smudge of dirt on him and I was…."

"Licking it off with your tongue? Just like a few weeks back when he was choking and you gave him the kiss of life? Yes , I know. Like I said, very honourable. We are finished Quinn."

Rachel put her head down and clutched Blaine's hand, unable to look at what was happening right in front of her.

"Can't we at least talk about this Sam?"

He sighed.

"No. And besides, I was going to break up with you anyway. I have feelings for someone else."

Rachel didn't know where to look or what to do as he sat back down beside her and linked her free hand. Quinn looked down at them in shock , and Blaine stood up , kicking his chair over behind him.

"Sam? What the fuck are you playing at?"

"Language Blaine."

He muttered sorry to Mr Schu, then glared angrily at Sam. Sam just slouched into his chair even more and gripped Rachel's hand tighter. She tried to shake it off but he wouldn't let her.

"I'm sorry. I know you liked her. I know this must be weird for you but…. It's real. I have real feelings for her. And I can't watch my supposed girlfriend who I can't stand kiss her ex every day and hold my tongue. And I can't let Rachel go on a date with you tomorrow night when I know she wants me. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm trying to warn you. I'm sorry Blaine. This sucks, but it is just the way it is."

Everyone watched as Quinn stomped out of the choir room in tears. Rachel stood up, angrily shaking Sam's hand off, and rested her hands on Blaine's shoulders, willing him to look at her.

"Look, I don't know what the hell has just happened , but I want to go out with you tomorrow night, just like we planned. Sam is clearly working through some issues right now and he is trying to cause trouble. I have never told him that I want him. I ….. I like you."

Her cheeks flamed red as she admitted her feelings in full view of everyone in the choir room. Blaine softened a bit , but still looked confused.

She heard Sam kick his chair over now behind him, and she dropped her hands from Blaine, and turned to face him. He towered over her as he looked half angry, half apologetic at both of them.

"Rachel, don't do this to him. It's unfair. You might not have said you wanted me, but we both know it's true. I can't let you go on a date with my best friend knowing that you are going to end up hurting him. And I can't let my best friend go on a date with you knowing that you and I… well… that we have something."

"ENOUGH." They all jumped at Mr Schu's angry voice.

"Sam, Rachel, Blaine, get out. Seriously, you are banned from Glee club until you have this mess sorted. We are here to sing, not create drama. Just go."

Sam stalked out, Rachel was about to protest but Blaine shook his head, and took her hand , dragging her out of the choir room.

They didn't speak as they walked out of the school. They both groaned when they reached the parking lot and realised Sam was there , waiting for them.

Rachel felt more angry than she had ever been as she walked up to him, pointing her finger in his face.

"Just because you have girlfriend issue's does not give you the right to bring your crazy down on us. You can't tell me what to do Sam. I like Blaine. I want to go out with him and I am not going to hurt him. You drive me insane."

She felt Blaine's arm slip around her waist. He squeezed her gently, but she couldn't look at him. She could only glare at Sam, who was smirking now.

"I drive you insane? That's called passion Rachel. Something you don't have with him."

"What did I ever do to you?"

Blaine looked and sounded so sad that it made Rachel hurt. Even Sam winced at this, his face full of guilt.

"Nothing. I'm sorry. I just… I couldn't help liking her. I tried not to. I was with Quinn, and I knew you were into her. But the more time we spent together the more I…"

Blaine let go of her now, his face full of accusations as he turned to her.

"You've been spending time together? You kept that one quiet."

She shook her head a little too fast and looked down at her feet.

"It's nothing. He needed help with Math, so I tutored him. I didn't realise he was going to turn it into a massive thing… it was just tutoring."

Sam groaned now, making her look at him.

"You can't even be honest can you Rachel? It wasn't nothing." He looked at Blaine now, folding his arms across his chest. "She tutors me every lunchtime. She knows that I like her. I wrote her a letter a few days ago explaining my feelings , and I gave her the option to stop. To walk away. But she still came."

Blaine looked at her now, his huge eyes looking sadder with every word said.

"Is that true?"

She knew it would be better to just tell him the truth now. She was tired of this.

"Yes, it's true. But… I only …. I….. it's not because of….. It's just…."

"It's just what Rachel? It's just that you like me and you were too scared to tell Blaine. You were just going to string him along."

"That's not true Sam. Stop trying to shit everything up. I do like Blaine. He is wonderful."

She looked at Blaine now, and went to touch his cheek, trying not to be hurt as he flinched away.

"You are wonderful OK ? You have been like my knight in shining armour this week. You are kind, funny , sweet and I can't believe I am saying this out loud… you are gorgeous. I was never stringing you along Blaine. I wanted to go out with you."

Her heart leapt as he smiled now, it wasn't like his usual smile, but a smile non the less.

"Yes. Blaine the hero. You have been her star this week , no doubt about that. And I have been an absolute jerk. Like seriously, I have been awful to her. And yet she still came back."

She jumped back as Sam put his arm around her shoulders.

"Will you stop this? You are being totally unreasonable. You are hurting your best friend."

"You stop. Stop trying to deny what is going on here. You still came back Rachel. Even after the way I have been with you. That has to mean something. We have to give things a go, or we are going to regret it. I dumped Quinn, I quit the football team, I never liked football anyway, I was just trying to fit in. I am trying to change , and I will change … for you. I will be the person you want me to be."

Rachel shook her head. She couldn't take this anymore. She had only known them both a week, why was everything escalating in such a short period of time?

She looked up at Sam, he looked kind, hopeful, sweet… and very handsome. He looked like the Sam she wanted to see. Then she looked at Blaine. He also looked very handsome, and sad. He looked so sad that it was too much. They were best friends. They shouldn't be falling out over her.

They both looked surprised as she gave them both a quick hug, her heart aching as she touched each one.

"I can't do this. To either of you. I'm done."

She knew they were watching her as she climbed in her car and drove away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Only Hope – 7**

It was Saturday night and Rachel sat in her room staring at the clock as it hit seven. She should have been downstairs, waiting for Blaine to pick her up for their date right now. She should have been excited, giddy and nervous as she checked her reflection a dozen times. But instead, she was in pink pyjama's with a huge bowl of popcorn, staring at the clock, and the walls.

She thought back to yesterday, wondering how it had all went so wrong, so quickly. Was she to blame? Had she led Sam on or something? Had she given him signals? She knew deep down that the blame probably was all on her. After all, he was right, he had written her that letter and she still went to see him at lunch. She still turned up. And she had liked him, she knew that inside somewhere, he was a decent person. Every time he smiled, it was a smile so big that you couldn't fail to feel happy around him. She laid back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was dreading Monday. Having to see Blaine and Sam would be torture.

She jumped up as she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Go away Shelby. I don't want to eat dinner with you. I would rather starve."

Shelby was persistent, even Rachel had to admit that. She was probably feeling guilty at ripping her away from the only parents she had ever known and loved, and so she should. Not only had she screwed her home life up, she had made all this drama at school. If Shelby had never sent her to a public school in the first place, then Rachel would have never been feeling so crap about Blaine and Sam.

The knock came again, she frowned at the door. She had to remember to get a lock soon, at least then she wouldn't have to worry about Shelby barging in uninvited.

"I said go away. You have ruined my life. "

Her anger rose as the door opened anyway. Yes, she definitely needed a lock. She jumped off her bed to give Shelby what for, gasping when she realised it was Blaine standing there instead.

"Blaine? What.. what are you doing here?"

Her cheeks went bright red as she realised she was standing there in her PJ's. They weren't even nice ones. They were a fleecey material and they would be more suited to an elderly lady, but they were her favourites. She folded her arms across her chest, hoping it would make a difference and that he somehow couldn't see what she was wearing.

"One – I'm sorry I'm a few minutes late, I nearly backed out and went home … but then I decided to man up a bit. Two – I'm also sorry for barging in, but you said for Shelby to go away and… well as you know… I'm not her so ….."

She frowned as she studied him. He looked absolutely gorgeous. He had nearly black jeans on , and a thick black coat. The clothes were enough to make him look like he belonged on the pages of a catalogue , but what really made her knees go weak, was his hair. Thick black curls fell into an untidy heap on his head, no hint of gel anywhere. She desperately wanted to run her hands through it.

"What do you mean a few minutes late? And Shelby let you up? Just like that?"

He smiled , he looked really nervous. She noticed he was fiddling with a button on his coat.

"Well, I have never been late for a date before and I am really sorry. And yeah, I sweet talked her and she let me up. She said something about being relieved you had school friends because you haven't said a word to her all week or something."

Rachel sat on the bed, and stared up at him in confusion.

"Wait, we are still going on a date?"

He really grinned now, and nodded his head. His shiny black curls bounced with the movement.

"Of course. Nothing would have kept me away tonight. I mean, I know I had a bit of a moment in the car when I nearly drove back home… but I think that was just standard first date nerves. But…. You look completely beautiful as always , I'm just not sure where we are going is a suitable place to wear pyjama's. "

Rachel raised an eyebrow. Was this really happening?

"But…. But what…. What about yesterday?"

His smile faded slightly now.

"We can talk about that later. I need to have you back at a respectable time, so we need to head off soon. I'll go and sweet talk Shelby some more while you get dressed. I want her to like me when I finally propose to you so…."

Rachel giggled now, her cheeks turning pink. He flashed her a smile before walking back out and closing the door.

She felt panicky now. She hadn't prepared for this at all. She had no clue where they were going. She guessed it was still the same plan as yesterday. She pulled on some track bottoms, she knew they weren't exactly the nicest thing to wear on a date , but she had a feeling that whatever they were doing wouldn't be appropriate in a skirt, and she didn't really own any pants other than these, so black track bottoms it was. She put her hiking shoes on, and pulled a white baggy sweater on over a black vest top. He had said something about layers, so she shoved another sweater in a back pack, grabbed her coat and torch , and hurried out. Before she went downstairs, she ran to the bathroom, brushing her teeth quickly . She didn't have time to do her make-up or hair, so she just scrunched her long locks up into a messy ponytail. That would have to do.

Her heart was thumping wildly as she entered the front room. Shelby was laughing loudly at something Blaine had just said. When he saw her , hovering at the doorway, his eyes widened.

"Wow. You look amazing."

Rachel hung her head and laughed. He was crazy, she looked a mess.

"You don't have to pretend Blaine. I look shocking. Most girls dress up on a first date but… you kind of threw me a little by actually turning up so….."

"Well I have never seen you look more beautiful. So that is the end of that discussion."

She couldn't help her grin at his words as he opened the front door.

"You kids have fun. Don't stay out too late."

Rachel rolled her eyes and ignored Shelby as she traipsed out of the house and towards Blaine's car. Blaine smiled politely and said goodbye. Ever the gentleman.

They didn't speak as he started up the engine and began driving. It was only after five minutes, Rachel felt brave enough to talk.

"So… where are we going?"

He glanced at her quickly before looking back at the road.

"You will see soon enough. Have you always been this impatient?"

She shrugged, smiling as she gazed out of the window.

"Yes."

He chuckled. They drove along for about twenty minutes. Blaine had been telling her about something that had happened when he was fundraising for the Glee club to get to a competition, she didn't know if he was just genuinely talking like he did at school, or if he was nervous and trying to fill in the gaps.

Eventually, he pulled his car over to a secluded area. They were near the coast, but they had already passed the beauty and tourist spots. She climbed out of the car, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Well, this is creepy. You could quite easily murder me here and nobody would ever know."

He laughed, and grabbed her bag from her shoulder.

"Good to know you aren't even a little bit dramatic."

He had two bags filled with stuff on his back, and he was holding a torch in one hand. He grabbed Rachel's free hand with his , and they started walking on a faint dust path. She realised now why they needed the torches, it was pitch black and they were about to climb a cliff.

"Let me take my bag, you really don't have to carry everything. You aren't superman."

He squeezed her hand gently, it was amazing how it always felt so right , holding his hand like this. They carried on walking. Rachel would never admit to him how unfit she was, they had only been going for five minutes uphill and she was already out of breath.

"I guess you are right. I'm more of a Clarke Kent. And that is OK by me. Girls spend their whole lives searching for a Superman, not realising that…. Clarke Kent has been in front of them all the time. "

"Wow. That was deep. And so true. Although it has to be said, you are way hotter than Clarke Kent."

He chuckled, squeezing her hand even more as they climbed.

"Even with the curls?"

Rachel smiled, looking at his curls once again. She hadn't really stopped looking at them. He looked incredible.

"Especially with the curls Blaine. You look… you just look…. I can't really say. It would be rude."

He laughed again, and they carried on climbing for another ten minutes. He had to help her up some particularly steep bits, and just as she was about to collapse in an exhausted heap, he told her they were here.

She looked around, confusion written all over her face. They were half way up a cliff. He smiled at her reaction, and pulled her along, stopping once they reached an opening. She gasped as she peered in. It was a cave, and it was glowing. Everything was lit up with amber and red. She turned to him, more confused than ever.

"It's beautiful Blaine. But how the hell did you manage to light up a cave?"

He laughed, let go of her hand and started unzipping his bag.

"I didn't. It's the stones and rocks inside. They make the cave glow at night. Pretty neat huh?"

Rachel nodded, staring into the cave in wonder as he laid out a huge picnic blanket. He told her to sit down, and he laid out a few more things, narrating as he got each thing out of the bag.

"A flask of hot chocolate to keep us warm, actual chocolate because girls love chocolate, it's just a fact. A blanket so you don't get cold. A portable stereo with a pre made mixed tape just for you. I remember you saying in Glee you liked Broadway so they are mostly Broadway songs with a little bit of David Bowie thrown in."

He turned the stereo on, but turned the volume down so they could only just hear it, then sat behind her, his legs either side of her and pulled her into his arms. She leaned back into him, smiling up at the stars. They were at the mouth of the cave, and she didn't think she had ever been anywhere so pretty.

"Wow, you really did think of everything. This is amazing. How did you find this place?"

He wrapped his arms around her tighter and she felt his cheek against hers. He felt cold. She wished she were brave enough to try and warm him up.

"I can't take all the credit. A few weeks back , the astronomy club had a field trip. The intention was to climb to the top of this cliff, and then they would set the telescopes up and see this comet that was coming through that night. We never made it to the top. We found this place instead. It was a good night , but I must say, it is way more fun sitting in a romantic cave on a starry night with a stunning girl in my arms. Looking through telescopes is nice and all that, but looking at you is so much better."

She blushed as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Blaine… I…. I don't want to spoil things but…. Why? Why did you come after what happened yesterday?"

His chin rested against her shoulder, and she felt him sigh.

"It's fine, I knew we would have to talk about it at some point. May as well be now to get it out of the way. After you drove away, I kind of went for Sam."

Rachel was biting her lip as she listened, not sure if she wanted to hear the story.

"What do you mean you 'went for him'?"

He sighed again.

"As in… I went to punch him."

She gasped, spinning around to face him.

"Blaine. He's your best friend."

He looked sheepish for a moment, then nodded.

"I know. I realised when I had my fist in the air. I couldn't do it. I was pissed off Rachel. I wanted to hurt him. Then I just… I couldn't. It didn't matter anyway, weirdly enough, he backed down. He said sorry."

The relief she felt inside was immense. The thought of them fighting over her was horrible.

"He did?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. He said sorry, he said that he knows he acted like a jerk and that from now on, he is backing off. He said that he hopes we have a nice date and that we are very happy together, then he walked off. I phoned him when I got home that night to make sure he really is OK , and it seems he is. He was fine. We are going to go have a game of football tomorrow, we haven't really spent any time together lately."

She smiled at that.

"Good. You were best friends long before I turned up, and you will be best friends long after I'm gone, so just…. Just keep it that way. Don't give me another sleepless night, full of guilt that I broke up two best friends."

He edged forward closer, the twinkle in his eyes was back, and he took her hand in his.

"I'm happy that Sam and I got things sorted. But now I have explained all of it, I really don't want to talk about it anymore. I want to look at you."

She laughed, looking down at her legs shyly. She knew her cheeks were going pink. Maybe it wasn't so noticeable with the red glow of the cave.

"You are looking at me."

He moved closer still. She felt his hand on her neck.

"I want to touch you."

Her heart rate sped up as he caressed her neck, his intense eyes staring into hers.

"And I definitely want to kiss you."

She knew she was trembling as he came closer still. She had never kissed anyone before. What if it was awful? How did people even kiss?. When their noses touched, he smiled softly, squeezing her hand.

"You're shaking. It's OK baby, I'm not going to do anything you don't want to do."

She nodded, and closed her eyes. She couldn't help but gasp as she felt his lips on hers. They were just as soft as she imagined them to be. He even faintly tasted of the peppermint that he always seemed to smell of. He pulled away, making her open her eyes. He put a finger to her lips, and just looked at her.

His black curls were shining with the cave light, his huge hazel eyes were sparkling and she noticed flecks of gold. She didn't know if it was the light or if he just looked extra gorgeous.

"Was that OK?" He looked so unsure, so terrified that he had over stepped the mark. She held on to his coat, and pulled him towards her, making his eyes widen in surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. His arms fell around her waist and he hugged her to him. She wasn't scared anymore. It wasn't just that they were kissing right now, it was more that…. They were meant to do this. It felt right.

She didn't even flinch as he very gently pushed his tongue into her mouth. She wanted to do this with him. Why had she wasted her life not doing stuff like this? She felt brave now as they explored each other, and ran one of her hands up the back of his neck and through his hair. It was soft and fluffy, and she had been waiting to touch his hair all night, ever since he had walked into her bedroom. Neither of them felt the cold now as they kissed. She felt his hands running up and down her back. She didn't feel like she was close enough to him. She sat on his lap so she could kiss him better. He enjoyed it for a few minutes, before pulling away. Both of them were breathless as they just looked at each other.

"Wow. We should uh probably cool things down…. Wow. We can't…uh….. . hot chocolate?"

She couldn't help laughing as he leant over to grab the flask. When she tried to scoot off him to make it easier for him to move, he wrapped his arms around her tighter. She raised an eyebrow in question.

"I thought you wanted to cool things down?"

He shrugged as he poured some drink into a cup, and handed it to her.

"Yes, but I didn't say anything about you getting off me. You are keeping me warm."

She grinned at him, taking a sip of the warm brown liquid, then handed it to him.

"And you were keeping me warm with all the making out. Do you want me to freeze Blaine? Is that what you want?"

He narrowed his eyes, a huge smile spreading across his face as he put the cup down. His hands started snaking around her waist again.

"I definitely don't want you to freeze. And if kissing you is the only way I can keep you warm, then I guess I better do it."

She tried to look offended. She started pulling his hands away from her, but it was no use, he was too strong.

"I don't want to force you into anything. If kissing me is such a hardship, then we better find another way of warming up. Like going home. Separately."

Before she could even attempt to climb off him, he had pulled her down to him so they were both now laying on the picnic blanket. Their mouths wasted no time in finding each other again, and from that moment, they spent the rest of the date in that position, making out. Every time things got a little too intense, Blaine would sit up, searching for chocolate or fiddling with stereo. He was never sitting up for long though, Rachel would soon pull him back down, letting him know exactly what she wanted to do.

She was sad as he drove her home. The night had ended so quick. As he pulled up in to her driveway, he took her hand in his and kissed it gently.

"Thank you for a magical evening Miss Berry."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and leant over, grabbing him into a hug. She placed a kiss on his cheek, which accidentally turned into a kiss on the lips, which sort of turned into another making out session. It was him that pulled away, laughing as she pouted.

"Shelby might be watching us , we can't fool around here."

As much as Rachel didn't care what Shelby thought, she knew he was right.

"OK . Well, I better get going then. Tonight was wonderful Blaine. Thank you. Enjoy the football game tomorrow and hopefully I will see you Monday?"

She said it as a question and he rolled his eyes affectionately.

"Of course you will see me Monday. As always, I will be counting down the seconds.

She smiled, and got out of the car before she changed her mind. She watched him drive away, and spent the night and all of the next day dreaming about him.

By the time Monday came around, she was desperate to see him again. He was waiting for her as she pulled up, and they were nearly late for the first lesson due to their inability to stop kissing each other.

Today, she was wearing a lime green dress with white stars over it, her hair hung straight around her shoulders. Blaine looked handsome in a purple polo shirt and blue jeans. His hair was gelled again, she wanted to ask him why he wore it like that for school, but the bell rang.

They made plans to see each other at lunch and went their separate ways. Rachel was still in a kissing daze, which is probably why she was so slow to react when she saw Quinn and two cheerleaders she didn't know heading straight for her. They pushed her into the lockers, and pain shot up her back at the crash. She dropped all of the books in her hand.

Quinn just stood there for a moment, smirking. Rachel wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of her acting bothered by it, so she waited until the three girls started walking away, then bent down to retrieve her books. She cried out as she felt a sharp kick in the back of her legs, sending her toppling to the floor. She smashed her head hard on the bottom of the lockers, pain searing through her body at the force. She heard the girls laughter in her ears as they walked away, leaving her lying there in a heap.

She tried to stand up, but an intense shooting pain shot through her skull, making her fall back against the lockers. She heard more footsteps and closed her eyes, worried they had come back for more.

"Rachel? Oh my God Rachel… are you OK ?"

She could have cried with relief as she realised it wasn't Quinn and the cheerleaders, it was Sam. She tried to stand up again, but once more, pain shot through her as she did. He realised she was hurting and helped her up carefully. She didn't want to look at Sam, she was too embarrassed.

"It's… It's fine. It's nothing."

She winced as more pain shot through her, her back was hurting from the lockers and the talking was making the pain in her head worse.

She felt his hand on her cheek, turning her face towards his.

"Let me see."

He gasped as he moved her hand from her head. She saw the concern in his eyes.

"Rachel. You're bleeding."

She looked at her hand and sure enough, there was blood from the head wound. She knew she had hit the lockers pretty hard, but she didn't realise it was that hard.

"Come on, we need to get you to first aid." He picked up her books and started pulling her along. She leaned heavily into him, she thought that at any moment, she was going to collapse. She needed the support.

"Who done this to you?"

She shook her head, which was a mistake. She nearly fell, it hurt so bad. He hoisted her up, his arm around her waist, holding her firmly so her legs wouldn't buckle.

"I uh… I didn't see. It doesn't matter."

He frowned, and she knew he didn't believe a word of it. They got to sick bay, and he helped her lay down on the bed. He explained to the nurse what had happened, and she said she would phone Shelby straight away to come and pick her up. The nurse was pretty certain she had a concussion.

Sam sat with her as she waited for Shelby.

"You can go to your lesson Sam. I don't want you getting told off."

He scoffed and shook his head.

"Like I care about that. I'm not leaving you."

They were silent as the nurse came back in and started cleaning the wound. It was quite a deep one, but luckily, it didn't need stitches.

When the nurse walked out, Sam perched on Rachel's bed, and smiled kindly at her.

"You need to go home and rest OK ? Don't move for the rest of the day. You have had a nasty fall. But look on the bright side, no lessons… and you get to dream of Blaine all day in bed."

Rachel tried to figure out if he was being sarcastic. As far as she could tell , he wasn't. He spoke again.

"He told me about the date yesterday. I'm glad you two are …. Well, you know."

She was touched that Sam was being so nice about it. She smiled back.

"Thanks. And I'm glad you two are…. Well…. You know."

They both laughed as she copied Sam's words, then she tried again.

"I'm just glad you are back on track. You are best friends It's how it should be."

He nodded in agreement.

"Yes. It's good. Everything will be OK . I still can't believe he took you to the cave though , after all that making fun of me."

Rachel raised an eyebrow in question, forgetting about the wound on her head. She winced in pain at the movement.

"What do you mean?"

He was chuckling as he told her.

"When I found the cave a few weeks back, I told him that when I finally get with a girl who I actually liked, that I was going to take her on a first date to the cave. He laughed, and said it was really pathetic."

What? Rachel was confused now.

"Wait… so you are in the astronomy club?"

He looked as puzzled as she did now, and shook his head.

"No. Why?"

"Because Blaine said that is how he stumbled across the cave. That the club went on a field trip and they found the cave and….." She trailed off at the look of utter surprise on Sam's face.

"What?! No. A few weeks ago, I needed to get out of the house, I had some stuff going on and it just got….." He shook his head and looked down at his hands. "Anyway, Blaine tagged along with me, and I didn't really know where I was going. When I found this cave, I was completely awestruck. It's amazing. How is nature that pretty?"

She smiled as she thought back to how magnificent the cave was.

"But Blaine didn't really seem all that interested in it. I kept going on about how it would make a perfect first date and how you could bring a beautiful girl there and just sit and look up at the stars. I even told him how I would take a flask of hot chocolate and actual chocolates because you know… every girl loves chocolate. And how I would take a stereo so we could listen to some music and just chill with each other. We would need blankets and layers and torches. I had it all worked out. That to me, is a perfect first date. And now I am minus Quinn, maybe I will get to experience it one day soon. I can't believe Blaine beat me to it though after taking the piss out of me all this time. He told me I sounded like a girl and that I needed to man up. He told me he didn't believe in all that romantic 'shit'"

Rachel felt more confused than ever. Why would Blaine lie about it? Had she hit her head so hard that she was dreaming stuff up now?

Before she had a chance to ask anything else, Shelby came walking in, wearing the 'concerned Mother' look very well. Sam took that as his cue to leave.

He bent down, kissed Rachel on the tip of the nose and smiled at her. It was his Sam smile, the one she loved.

"You take it easy. Feel better soon OK?"

"OK " She whispered, as she watched him walk out. When he had disappeared from view, she felt desperately confused and lonely.

Her head was a mess in more ways than one as Shelby helped her to the car.


	8. Chapter 8

**Only Hope – 8**

When Rachel woke on Tuesday morning with her head pounding, she wondered if she had dreamt up Sam being nice to her. And if she had dreamt up the fact that Sam found the cave. It wasn't the fact that the whole thing was Sam's idea of a perfect date rather than Blaine's… it was the lies. Why would Blaine lie about how he had discovered it? It didn't make any sense.

She looked in the mirror at the cut across her forehead. It was starting to bruise now, but she had to go to school today. She had only been there for a week, and she had already missed most of the day yesterday. She couldn't afford to miss any more. She threw on a plain white top with a navy cardigan and a black skirt, she didn't feel like dressing up in anything bright today. She styled her hair so bangs fell over her head, covering up the cut and bruise.

Before she left for school, she found herself frowning at her phone. She stared at the screen as if something would magically appear. She and Blaine had swapped numbers on Saturday night, and she was a bit miffed that he hadn't even text her to ask if she was OK . Maybe she was just paranoid after the information Sam had given her. She didn't know what felt worse though, the fact that Blaine knew she must have been hurt or fallen unwell and was sent home but he didn't care, or the fact that maybe he hadn't even noticed she was gone at all, despite her being in a few of his lessons and of course, Glee club.

Still, she supposed she had bigger things to think about. What if Quinn and her friends attacked her again today? What would she do? The reason she hadn't told anyone who it was yesterday was because in a way, she felt like she had deserved the attack. Quinn had been mean to her before Sam had publicly dumped her and declared his feelings for Rachel, so it was no surprise she was acting out now. The only thing she could do was face it.

When she pulled up in the parking lot, she didn't know whether to be relieved or offended that Blaine wasn't waiting for her. She made her way to the lockers and started sorting out some books. When she closed the locker door, she was surprised to see Sam standing there, waiting for her to notice him. She jumped back a bit in shock, then tried to pretend his presence didn't faze her. He was looking at her in concern.

"How are you? I couldn't really concentrate on anything yesterday after you went home."

She ignored her heart fluttering as he reached up softly to bush her hair over so he could look at the wound. He winced when he saw it, then dropped his hand to her cheek.

"It's fine. I'm OK."

"Ouch. That really was quite a fall you had. Who did this to you Rachel?"

She wondered if she should tell him. Maybe he could talk to Quinn? It probably wouldn't make a difference. It could even make things worse. Just as she opened her mouth to talk, Sam dropped his hand from her face and looked over her shoulder. She turned to find Blaine standing behind them, a look of confusion on his face.

"Hey guys. What's going on here?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing. I'll let you two talk. See you both in History class."

Rachel frowned at Sam's back as he walked away. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to Blaine right now. She was angry with him.

"Hey beautiful. I missed you yesterday."

She folded her arms across her chest and leant back against the lockers, trying not to melt under his gaze. Even though she was angry with him, he looked delicious. He was wearing a bright multicoloured patched shirt with a matching bow tie. On anyone else , it would look insane, but he managed to make it work.

"Did you? The lack of texts or phone calls proved otherwise."

He couldn't hide the surprise on his face. Rather than look at him, she stared at the wall opposite. It was hard to be angry with him while staring into those eyes.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I kept wondering if I should call or something but then… I don't really know what to say about stuff like that… I'm a guy."

She had to look at him now. What the hell was he on about?

"You being a guy stops you from asking if I'm OK ? I fail to see how."

Why were his cheeks turning pink? He looked at the floor, she could barely hear him as he muttered the next words.

"When Quinn told me you went home because of… well… you know… you were feeling unwell because of the monthly thing that happens to girls…." His cheeks were fully red now. " I thought it was best if I just let you sleep it off and rest with a hot water bottle or whatever it is you do. I'm sorry. I thought it would be embarrassing for both of us if I asked."

Her mouth fell open at this. Quinn had told everyone she went home because she was having 'girl issues'? How convenient. Sam was the only one who had known the real reason she went home. She wondered if he knew what Quinn had been telling everyone. She realised that Blaine couldn't see the wound on her head, her hair was covering it up. She decided to let it go. He looked adorably cute now he was embarrassed , and she had missed him.

She reached out for his hand, for some reason, she didn't want to tell him the truth about yesterday. It didn't matter anyway. She was just happy that there was sort of an excuse for why he hadn't been in contact. He beamed at her as he took her hand, linking their fingers together as they set off for History class.

"Are you feeling better today then?"

She nodded, then reached over and kissed his cheek as they walked along. She was rewarded with a dazzling smile.

"Yes. Hey, I was thinking… we have to go back to the cave soon. It was so romantic."

She watched his face as she spoke, his smile didn't falter.

"It was a beautiful night with a beautiful girl. I will take you back there soon."

She couldn't help blushing like she always did when he called her beautiful.

"The astronomy club won't mind will they? If you take me back there?"

He laughed, then looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Of course not. They don't own the cave. It's our special place."

Rachel knew she should have just left it at that, but she was a curious person by nature, and she hated being lied to.

"Has Sam ever seen it? With you two being best friends and all, I thought maybe you would have shown him such an amazing place."

She noticed his face change now. He looked shocked for about a second, then tried to regain his composure.

"Way to ruin the cave. I don't want to think about taking Sam there, I want to think about taking you there."

She noticed how he didn't directly answer the question. They walked into History class together and Mr Schu wasn't there yet. As they sat down at their table, Sam came bounding over to them.

"Rach, I am really sorry if I am pushing my luck here, but now we are all OK again and the drama of last week is over, I was wondering if you could tutor me again at lunch? I managed to get a really high score yesterday in Math after you went home, so the extra tuition was obviously working. I know I acted all crazy last week, but now Quinn and I are no longer a couple, I feel calmer. I'm more myself. I would really appreciate it if you could. I have brought you some lunch again just in case you say yes…. PB+j?"

She couldn't help smiling as he gave her an infectious grin and made puppy dog eyes at her. She laughed, nodding her head.

"How can I refuse PB+J? Of course I will. I have nothing better to do at lunch anyway."

A chill ran over her body at the thought of being Quinn's target at lunch time. She would much rather tutor Sam than be looking over her shoulder every minute.

Sam looked at Blaine.

"Is that OK with you dude? Don't worry, I won't hit on her anymore."

He laughed nervously, but was clearly worried. She frowned at both of them.

"Uh… guys, I don't need anyone's permission . No offence Blaine, but even if you said no, I would still do it. We have been on one date, it doesn't give you the right to tell me what to do."

Blaine shrugged, and smiled at her and Sam.

"I know baby. I wouldn't dream of telling you what to do. You two have fun, I have to rehearse my speech for the presidential votes anyway. It makes me feel less guilty about neglecting you at lunch if you are spending time with someone else."

Sam smiled and mouthed thanks at the both of them as Mr Schu walked in to teach the class. He hurried back to his seat. Rachel couldn't help but smile as Blaine clutched her hand under the table through the whole lesson. He even wrote with his left hand even though he was right handed, he didn't want to let her go.

When the lesson finished, Blaine kissed her on the lips, in front of everyone. It was just a quick peck, but it left her wanting more.

"I'll see you after school at the lockers?." She nodded, a huge smile on her face.

The lessons up until lunch whizzed by. She couldn't really think of anything but Blaine. OK , so there was the little worry of why he had lied about the cave, but did it really matter? She didn't think it did. Maybe she had made it a huge deal in her mind when it didn't need to be. After all, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation why he didn't contact her yesterday, so there was no doubt a good reason for the cave thing.

When lunch hour arrived, she made her way to the old classroom she studied in with Sam, feeling excited for once about teaching him. Maybe they could all be friends? He seemed to be a normal human being now he was minus Quinn.

He was waiting for her in the usual spot in the corridor, a huge smile on his face when he saw her coming. She couldn't help thinking how nice he looked today. He looked easy going and relaxed. He was wearing his usual style jeans and a blue and white checked shirt over a white t-shirt. His hair seemed to be getting fluffier by the day, and she thought it looked cute the way it was flopping over his forehead.

They sat at the usual table while Sam got the lunch box out.

"I brought more today. I always feel guilty that you share with me so I thought I better double things up."

She grinned, taking a sandwich.

"Thanks. You make the best PB + J sandwiches. Even better than my Dads used to make."

She tried to hide the look of pain that flashed across her face at the mention of her Dads. They only lived across town but she felt desperately homesick.

She felt Sam's hand on her arm in a friendly gesture.

"Blaine sort of… brought me up to speed with everything that happened with you. I'm sorry, I know how bad it sucks being ripped away from everything and everyone you love."

She took a bite of her sandwich and looked at him in concern.

"You do?"

He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, looking down at the table to avoid her gaze. He was no longer touching her.

"Yeah. My Dad… he lost everything. He lost his job. Which meant he lost our house. My Mom's part time wages didn't cover anything. When we were declared homeless and bankrupt, the child protection services stepped in and deemed my Mom and Dad unfit to look after me and my younger siblings. They put us all into foster care. All separately. I miss them everyday."

Rachel gasped and felt tears burning the back of her eyes. He looked so sad. His voice choked when he said he missed them.

"What? They … they took you away from your parents? Sam, I'm so sorry. That's not right. How can they do that?"

He shrugged.

"We all tried to tell the CPS that our parents were great. That they have never harmed us, that they have shown us nothing but love every single day. But they still ripped us apart anyway. It nearly killed my Mom. Literally. Two weeks after we were placed into care, my Dad found her passed out on the floor of the grotty motel they were staying in, a bottle of cheap vodka and some medication next to her. She made it through but…. I don't know. Things will never be the same again."

Rachel couldn't help the tear that did spill down now. She wiped it away quickly before he saw, then placed her hand on his cheek so he would look at her. When he did , she found that she had no words. He looked so devastated it was unbearable. She reached over, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. He was surprised at first, then leaned into her, his arms finding their way around her waist. He buried his head in her shoulder as she hugged him, she soothed patterns into his back trying to reassure him. After a few minutes, rather than let go, she wanted to hug him more.

"It's not right Sam. There must be a way. I will help you fight it."

She almost whispered the words. She thought for a moment he was going to reject the offer of help, she thought things were going to get weird between them again. Instead, he held her even closer to him, he seemed to be trembling but he nodded his head. He mumbled thanks so quietly that she almost didn't hear.

They reluctantly let each other go, and Sam opened up the Math book, shaking his head to clear the bad thoughts away. Rachel tried to help him, she really did, but the sad story of Sam's struggles were the only thing going round her brain. At one point, he chuckled lightly because he was telling her how to do a sum rather than the other way round. After ten minutes, he shut the book, and stared at her.

"You're not really feeling this are you? It's OK , we can try again tomorrow."

She smiled gratefully, and just looked at him. She knew he had been arrogant last week, and at times unbearable, but now she knew a part of the real him, she could hardly blame him. He could do with a friend.

"We still have half hour left of lunch. Let's just talk."

She eyed him, waiting for him to say no, waiting for him to walk out. Instead, he smiled, rather shyly… and nodded his head in agreement.

He passed her a chocolate bar from the lunch box, and she broke it in half so they could share.

"So… what does Blaine think of everything?"

He shrugged as he chewed on the chocolate bar.

"He doesn't know."

She gasped, trying not to leave her mouth hanging open when she was eating chocolate.

"What do you mean he doesn't know?"

He shrugged again.

"He has a lot going on with all the clubs and presidential things and stuff. He doesn't need to know about how bad my life is right now. He hasn't figured anything is wrong yet, we have hardly seen each other the last few weeks, and when we have, I went to his. You are the only person that knows."

"I am?"

He continually managed to shock her every time they spoke. She had guessed for a while that there was more to him than meets the eye, and she was right.

He smiled again, she was still amazed at how much his face transformed when he did. He had dimples making him look cute but sexy all at the same time.

"You are just easy to be with. You make me trust you. Like I said in the letter, it's like you cast a spell over me or something."

His cheeks went pink as he realised what he had just said, but not as pink as hers.

She looked down at the table, not knowing what to say, luckily… he spoke again.

"Uh… anyway… erm… so… What did Blaine say when you told him what happened yesterday? I hope he ran straight to yours with chocolates, flowers and sympathy?"

She laughed.

"Not quite no. He uh…. He doesn't know what happened."

He looked at her, an incredulous look on his face.

"What? What do you mean he doesn't know what happened?"

She carried on looking at the table, glad her cheeks were still pink from Sam's earlier comment, maybe it would hide her embarrassment now.

"He thought I went home because it was my 'time of the month' "

To her relief, he chuckled. He didn't seem embarrassed at the topic.

"Why would he think that?!"

She shrugged. She didn't want to drop Quinn in it. Even though she was tempted to tell him earlier what had happened, she was still worried about what telling someone would mean for her. She knew it would bring even more trouble and after yesterday, she couldn't face it.

"It doesn't matter."

He didn't believe her, he knew she was keeping something from him, she could tell by his face.

"So were you on the phone to him last night having to fake stomach aches and stuff like that? You must be a good actress."

She laughed, taking a sip of the juice box he had given her.

"No. No acting required. He didn't call. Or text."

She tried but failed miserably to hide the bitterness in her voice.

"Oh." He also failed to hide his surprise at this news.

"Never mind."

He looked angry now.

"What do you mean never mind? I mind. I mind a hell of a lot. You should be being looked after, not left on your own all night because your boyfriend thinks you have girls problems going on. And even if he thought you went home because of that, why didn't he call you?"

"I think he was embarrassed. He's a guy so…."

She jumped as he banged his fist on the table.

"I'm a guy Rachel. But if you were my girl, I would give a damn. Whether it's a stomach ache, a bang on the head or a contagious disease that could kill me, I would be there. That is the difference between me and Blaine."

She watched as he clenched his fist . She placed a hand over his, trying to calm him down.

"You are going to make some girl very happy one day Sam."

He shook her hand off.

"Don't. Just don't. The fact that I have to act cool about you and Blaine is shit OK? But I am trying here. It doesn't help when I see you hurt, it doesn't help when you tell me a ridiculously stupid story about why Blaine didn't even call you, and it really doesn't help when you tell me that one day, I will make someone happy. I wanted that someone to be you. But I know it can't be. So just don't. Don't say things like that."

He picked up a pen he had been using earlier and started scratching the table. He was clenching his jaw, his shoulders were tense and he was clearly wound up. She took the pen from him and held his hand again. He carried on staring at the table.

"Sam?"

It took a while, but eventually he looked at her.

She could see everything in his eyes, anger, pain, fear, hurt. Life was being unreasonably shit to him lately and it wasn't fair. She reached up, brushing his hair away from his forehead to get a better look at him. He leaned into her hand, his eyes never breaking contact with hers. Her finger traced his cheek, she smiled as his defensive posture relaxed under her touch. She edged closer to him and he closed his eyes.

"It's OK Sam."

She could feel his breath on her cheek as her hand travelled down to his neck. Before she even realised what she was doing, her other hand had reached up to cup his cheek. Her heart was beating so loud she was sure he could hear it.

As her lips touched his, he gasped, opening his eyes in shock. He looked at her for a minute, before wrapping his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. He kissed her back, softly at first. His hands ran smoothly up her back as they kissed deeper , faster, making her feel dizzy. His lips were soft, even softer than Blaine's. She jumped back, her hand over her mouth in horror.

Blaine. What the hell was she doing?

"Rach?"

His breathing was fast as he looked at her in concern.

She stood up, her chair falling behind her noisily as she shook her head. She grabbed her bag, and picked up the chair clumsily, her hands shaking.

"Blaine."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but as soon as she spoke, Sam stood up, his hands on her arms.

"Don't go. We can talk about this… it's…. I….. just don't go."

He looked scared. He looked so afraid that it was almost enough to make her stay. Then she thought of Blaine again and shook her head.

"I have to."

She knew it would be a long time before she forgot the look of rejection on Sam's face as she ran out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**Only Hope – 9**

Rachel ran as fast she could through the corridors and out on to the fields. She didn't know where she was going, all she knew is that she needed to be as far away from Sam as possible. What had she just done? Why was she so stupid? She couldn't even blame Sam for this, it had all been her fault. She had kissed him. She guessed that meant she was officially a cheat now. How did she get into this mess?

She saw the tree she had sat under the first day she came here, and headed straight for it. When she sat down, she put her head in her hands, trying to shut the world out. Even after what had just happened, she knew she would have to talk to Sam before they finished school today. She had meant what she said about helping him with his parents, there had to be a flaw in the system somewhere, and the kiss was down to her. She couldn't take it out on him.

She sighed as she heard a twig snap behind her. He had obviously followed her out. She guessed they had better talk about things now, it would get it out of the way. Maybe she could persuade him to let her tell Blaine first. Because if she explained to Blaine that it was all her fault, that she had kissed Sam, then hopefully they wouldn't fall out again. They could go back to being best friends and forget all about her. Her heart ached as she thought of telling Blaine. She knew it would crush her, looking into his eyes as she told him what had happened.

She raised her head, bracing herself for Sam to appear. She gasped as she realised it was Quinn and the two cheerleaders from yesterday. She picked up her bag and stood up, ready to walk away. They had already closed in on her and she couldn't move in any direction. She was trapped.

"Oh look girls, she has adorable bangs today to cover up her clumsy fall from yesterday."

The two cheerleaders laughed as Quinn stood there smirking.

"Just… just leave me alone please." Her voice sounded small and pathetic. "If you just leave me be, I won't tell anyone that you did this to me. I haven't told anyone. And I won't."

Quinn stepped forward closer to Rachel. She felt more closed in than ever. Her heart was racing. She looked around the fields. Nobody would help her. There were some guys playing football down at the bottom, but they wouldn't help her anyway. She was a newbie, a freak show. Nobody was interested.

"I don't care if you do snitch on me Berry. Nobody would believe you. I'm the head cheerleader with perfect grade A scores. All the teachers in this place love me, especially Principle Sue. Besides, it would spoil all my fun if I left you alone."

Rachel tried to back away but she only knocked in to the tree behind her. The cheerleader to the left of her snatched her blue butterfly schoolbag out of her hand before she even had a chance to react.

"Hey. Give it back."

The three girls just laughed as they opened it up and started taking her school books out one by one and ripping them to shreds. All Rachel could do was watch.  
When they had destroyed everything in the bag, Quinn ripped it and broke the straps off, tossing it on the floor. It landed next to Rachel's foot. She looked at her broken bag, then back up at Quinn.

"Why are you doing this? There is nothing going on with Sam and I. He just went a little crazy last week that's all. You hurt him. He knew it would hurt you to say that he liked me but he doesn't. I'm with Blaine. Just leave me alone."

So she knew the Blaine thing wasn't strictly true, not after what she had to tell him about Sam, but she would say anything to get Quinn and the girls away from her.

Quinn stepped even closer now, and grabbed Rachel by the hair. She gasped out in pain as Quinn pulled it as hard as she could, bringing her face close to hers as she scowled.

"Not only are you an absolute waste of space Berry, you are also a complete liar. I wondered where Sam had been spending all his lunchtimes last week, and I was going to follow him yesterday, but he hung around with some guys on the football team down on the field. Then I put two and two together. The only day he shows his face at lunch, you were at home recovering from your nasty fall. So today, I really did follow him. I stood outside that class room as I watched you kiss my boyfriend."

Rachel tried to pull away, but it just made the pain from Quinn pulling her hair harder. She had tears in her eyes from the sting, but was determined not to fall apart in front on them.

She looked Quinn in the eyes, and with as much venom in her voice as she could muster, she spoke.

"Your ex boyfriend. He dumped you remember? Because you are a crazy bitch and Sam can do a million times better than the likes of you."

Quinn's jaw fell open and Rachel knew if she didn't take this opportunity now, then things would get nasty. She stomped on Quinn's foot as hard as she could, but to her terror, It didn't work. Quinn still gripped her hair tighter than before. She tried to run away but both of the cheerleaders grabbed her arms as Quinn finally let go of her hair. She tried to rub her head where it had just been pulled, it hurt so bad and she felt dizzy as the two girls pushed her against the tree.

She knew it was coming, but it was still a surprise as Quinn's fist slammed into her stomach, making her cry out in pain. She tried to bend over in agony, but she couldn't because of the cheerleaders holding her up. She felt a fist again, this time in her ribs. Shit shit shit, the pain was unbearable. She closed her eyes as the third and fourth blow connected with her ribs in exactly the same place. She couldn't breathe. She was going to pass out at any moment. Instead of struggling now, she just let the punches come, if she let them do it, hopefully she would fall unconscious quicker. It wouldn't have hurt so much if the blows were spread out. Quinn knew what she was doing as she aimed for the same place again and again.

All of a sudden, she felt her arms released and she sunk down to the ground, clutching her belly, panting hard and trying not to throw up.

"You better run. You won't get away with this Fabray. Now you've hurt my best friend, I will ends you. "

Rachel watched as the three cheerleaders feet hurried out of view down the field. She closed her eyes , the pain was still coursing through her. She gripped her stomach and let out a moan as she felt Santana's arm around her.

"Come on dwarf. It's OK. You're gonna be OK. We need to go and get you checked out."

Rachel felt the pressure burn as Santana tried to help her up. She couldn't do it. The pain hurt too much. She fell back to the ground, her breathing hard and raspy with the effort. Santana sat with her a few minutes, wrapping her up in a hug. Rachel didn't cry. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't hug her friend back, all she could do was clutch her belly as she soothed her. After a while, Santana looked at her , her huge brown eyes full of concern.

"Right, let's try again." She ruffled her hair in a sweet gesture as they both stood up. " You can do it."

Rachel flinched as Santana accidentally touched her wound from yesterday.

"Dwarf? Did they hurt your head as well or…."

"No. It's fine." Rachel knew she had spoken too quickly. Santana frowned and pushed her bangs out of the way. She gasped when she saw it.

"They did this too? But wait…. This is old… it's not bleeding. They couldn't have…."

She stopped , her mouth falling open as Rachel looked anywhere but in to her friends eyes.

"Yesterday. It's why you went home isn't it? They hurt you yesterday as well. Oh my God Rachel. Come on."

Santana tightened her grip on Rachel's shoulders as they walked along. After a few steps, Rachel managed to straighten out a bit, but she couldn't take her hand off her belly just yet.

"I'm not going to first aid."

Santana rolled her eyes, then looked at her as if she were mad.

"Don't be so ridiculous. You are really hurt dwarf. You are going. I will stay with you."

Rachel shook her head.

"I'm not going. And you are not going to tell anyone what happened. Quinn will not be mentioned. At all. Got it?"

Santana nodded.

"Yeah I got it. It doesn't mean it will happen. Trust me, Quinn will get what's coming to her. And you are going to first aid."

Rachel stopped walking, making Santana stop as well. She pleaded with her friend.

"Please. For me. It's just… I have already had so much trouble at this school, I don't want anymore. I deserved what happened today Santana. I ….. I kissed Sam. And Quinn saw."

Santana shook her head and to Rachel's surprise, hugged her again. She was very gentle as she put her arms around her, for which she was grateful. She couldn't deal with any more pain right now.

"Nobody deserves that dwarf. Nobody. You are a good person. Sam dumped Quinn last week in front of everyone, so it really doesn't matter if you kissed him or not, he's single. Although why you would want to do that is beyond me, his lips are huge, I'm surprised he didn't swallow you or something."

Rachel tried not to smile.

"Stop it. And if you must know… it was magical."

Santana made a gagging noise.

"Ew. Wait… don't you sort of have a Blaine? How come you are kissing trouty mouth? Man I feel sorry for you, from gel head to trouty. You really have had a bad week."

Rachel rolled her eyes affectionately .

"Yes I do have a sort of Blaine. Which is why nobody can know what just happened. Please. I can't go to first aid because I can't go home. I have to talk to Blaine. And Sam. And I just…. I don't want Quinn's name brought up. Maybe now she has it out of her system, she will leave me alone. It will only make things worse if I go telling tales."

"It's hardly telling tales. She just beat the shit out of you. I thought I was going to have to drag you to first aid while you were unconscious. Actually , that would have been easier for me. An unconscious you wouldn't have put up a fight."

Despite everything, Rachel laughed.

"Well I am conscious, so you have to respect my wishes. Besides, if they send me home with a multitude of broken ribs, I won't be able to go grab a milkshake with you after school. I missed you yesterday."

Santana folded her arms across her chest, and tried to look stern. It failed miserably. She couldn't help smiling.

"Fine. I am only keeping quiet for you. Which I guess makes me a shit friend but… if anything else happens dwarf, and I mean anything, I will tell everyone. If I see you being hurt like that again, I will tell the cops, let alone the teachers."

Rachel smiled as she linked her arm and they started heading in to the school. She still had her free arm over her belly, but the pain wasn't as intense as it was before.

"It does not make you a shit friend. It makes you the best friend. Thank you. For everything."

Santana flashed her a huge smile, but she couldn't hide the concern in her eyes as she glanced down at her clutching the pain in her belly.

"I have to go now…. I hate this. It's not right just leaving you when you are in this much pain."

With great difficulty, Rachel let her arm fall to her side and stood up straight. She didn't want her to worry.

"I'm fine. You get to class. I have science with Blaine now so everything will be OK. I will meet you in the parking lot after school."

Santana looked more relaxed now.

"OK . Good, I can walk you to science because I'm going the same way. You know we will probably turn into milkshakes soon?"

Rachel shrugged, grinning as they made their way to the class.

"There are worse things to be."

They said goodbye with a hug and she watched as Santana rushed off for her class. Rachel took a deep breath, knowing that Quinn was in this class. It would be OK though, Blaine was here as well. Quinn couldn't do anything in front of a teacher. Just as she was about to walk in, she felt a hand on her arm.

Her eyes widened as she saw Sam standing there, he looked agitated and wound up.

"Please Rachel, I just want to talk. Please."

Rachel sighed, then looked at the crowded corridor and checked her watch. They still had a few minutes before the bell rang. She nodded and Sam took her hand, pulling her into a staff toilet, locking the door behind them. Rachel couldn't help looking into his eyes as he stared down at her. She couldn't look anywhere else. She watched as he tried to get his words out.

"Listen…. Don't tell him. Don't tell Blaine OK ? I'm not going to say anything. He doesn't have to know. The kiss… it… it was my fault. I made you feel sorry for me. It was a pity kiss."

Her mouth fell open as she took in his words. Is that really what he thought? She shook her head, knowing that she shouldn't answer, that she should let him believe it was that…. But she couldn't keep quiet.

"No it wasn't. It was not a pity kiss Sam. How can you even think that?."

He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.

"Because I'm a screw up. Because I have been a jerk to you. Because I'm Sam Evans…. Poor, no family unit, no prospects, a …. a waster."

Rachel shook her head again and closed her eyes, unable to witness the pain on his face. She took a deep breath and opened them again. Before she knew what she was doing, her finger reached up to trace his cheek.

"You are not a waster. All I see, and have seen since last week is somebody with a heart of gold underneath all the jerk stuff. You are a good person. The kiss…." She knew her cheeks were going red, but she had to make him see. "The kiss was real Sam. OK . It was real. So whatever happens now, even if you and Blaine hate me forever after this, that is the one thing you have to know. I wanted to kiss you. I still do."

She barely registered the surprise on his face as she reached up, her lips gently touching his. He was unsure for a moment, he backed away, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Rachel… we shouldn't…."

She felt rejected, she was about to agree and run away from him in shame again, when he leaned down and kissed her. All she felt was relief as his lips crushed into hers. It felt right. This felt more urgent than earlier, it felt like they had to do it, like they didn't have a choice.

She didn't hesitate as he softly pushed his tongue into her mouth, she just kissed him deeper. Nothing else mattered at this moment but the kiss. His hands found the back of her neck and he pulled her closer to him. Her legs felt like jelly as her hand tangled in his hair. One of his hands travelled down her back, then round to her side. She was so into the kiss that it shocked them both when she jumped back, wincing in pain. It was an involuntary reaction. She held her rib where Sam's hand had just been.

"Rach? What's wrong?"

She couldn't look at him as she tried to calm herself down, tried to act like it was nothing.

"I'm fine. Nothing. I'm uh… sorry about that…. I just."

She shook her head, grimacing as another pain shot through her. She wondered if she had a broken rib, how could it hurt that much from just a touch.

They both jumped again as the school bell rang.

Her free hand found the door handle, but she couldn't let her other hand fall from her stomach, the pain still hurt too much.

"We have to get to class."

He stepped forward and leant against the door, stopping her from opening it, shaking his head.

"No. We aren't going anywhere. What's wrong?"

She sighed and ever so slowly, let her arm drop so it didn't look like she was in pain anymore. She had a sudden brain wave.

"Well… you know when Blaine thought I went home because of uh… girls problems? You know… time of month and all that? Well ironically enough…. I uh…. well you know." She shrugged, unable to look at him now. " Today I really do have girls problems."

He didn't say anything, but she could feel his eyes on her. After a minute, she felt panicky, they would already be the last ones in to class, she had to get out of here now. She had to think about whether she would tell Blaine everything despite Sam asking her not to.

Eventually, she looked up at him. When she did, he moved away from the door, and she thought he was going to drop the matter and let her out.

"Don't talk crap Rach. I have never heard anything so daft. I am really sorry for what I am about to do but….."

She raised an eyebrow in question as he grabbed her arm, firmly but gently and pulled her towards him. Then, before she could stop him, he lifted the hem of her cardigan and t-shirt up, his face hardening as he looked at her stomach. She looked down as well, gasping at the already huge purple bruises that were appearing across her. She self-consciously pulled her tops back down and shook her head.

"You had no right to do that Sam. It's nothing OK ? Forget it."

He scoffed, and ran a hand through his hair, his blue eyes were cool and icy as he looked at her.

"Like hell I'm going to forget it. Who did this? The same person as yesterday? Talk to me Rachel."

She had went through all the beating and pain earlier without any tears, but now, she couldn't stop them falling. He reached over and brushed a tear away from her cheek with his thumb, a small sad smile on his lips.

"Talk to me. You don't have to be alone Rach."

"I said it's nothing. Just leave it."

She pulled the door handle now and opened it, walking out to the deserted corridor.

"You can't keep running from me. "

His voice sounded sad. She turned to look at him and shrugged.

"I can try."

She found it hard to turn away again, but she had to.

Once again, she knew he was watching her as she walked into her science class and shut the door without looking back.


	10. Chapter 10

**Only Hope – 10**

"You're late Miss Berry. I do hope you have a good excuse."

Rachel glanced at the science teacher as she made her way to sit with Blaine. He was looking at her in confusion. She tried to block out the rest of the class staring at her. Quinn was in her usual place at the back of the class , smirking as Rachel's cheeks went red.

"I'm… I'm uh sorry sir. Uh… I … I spilt a drink on me at lunch and had to go dry it off. It won 't happen again."

The science teacher clearly didn't believe a word of it. She knew Blaine's eyes were still on her.

"No. It won't happen again. Right, as I was saying, if you could all just get your books out and turn to page…."

Rachel raised her hand, making the teacher scowl at her.

"Yes Miss Berry?"

"I uh… I don't have my book. Sorry."

She heard the class mutter and giggle around her. She wanted more than anything to crawl away and never come back , but Quinn would win if she did that.

"So… you are late to my class, and now you don't have your book. What is the reason for that exactly?"

She stared at the table, forcing herself to stick this out, to not get upset.

"I lost my bag at lunch."

She looked up in time to see a raised eyebrow on the teacher. He really was quite scary when he was angry.

"You lost your entire bag at lunch Miss Berry? How on earth did you manage that?"

She shrugged and looked down at the table again.

"I like to be prepared so I put the books I needed for this afternoon in my bag before lunch, and then my bag just sort of…. Disappeared. I'm sorry."

Rachel waited for the inevitable explosion, but was surprised to instead hear Blaine's voice next to her.

"Sorry to interrupt sir but , I found her bag and have her book with me right now. I just grabbed this book for her and put her bag and the rest of her things in my locker until I could find her. I haven't had a chance to give it to her yet as she's only just walked in , but I have it. She's been home schooled all her life, she is still getting used to things. Go easy on her."

Rachel and the science teacher both stared at Blaine in confusion as he handed her a copy of the book she needed.

"Thanks for the lecture Mr Anderson, but this is my class and I will not tolerate this again. You are lucky today Miss Berry. Now, get on with your work immediately. I want the whole class studying in silence."

Blaine handed her a pen so she could jot down some notes from the book. She smiled gratefully , and after about twenty minutes of working in silence, she wrote him a note.

_Thanks for saving my ass. But you know this isn't my book right? My book was torn to shreds by Quinn and her gang of cheerleaders. My entire bag was destroyed by them._

She watched him as he read the note. He shook his head and frowned, then started jotting something down.

**Ignore Quinn baby girl, she's a bully. I have a spare book for pretty much every class. It was your lucky day. I know, I'm a geek. =) Hope you are OK now. Don't let a bunch of silly cheerleaders get to you. X**

She couldn't help smiling at him as she read the note. She jumped as the teacher shouted at them, telling them to look at their own work. At the end of the lesson, everyone stood up, ready to go to the next class. When Blaine knew the teacher wasn't watching them, he turned to face Rachel, his smile wide and gorgeous. Her stomach dropped as she thought of what had just happened with Sam. She had kissed him twice. And it had been her instigating it each time. She was an awful person. Obviously she would have to tell Blaine, but now wasn't the time or place.

"Are we still on for after school? Is it OK to tag along with you and Santana? As much as I want you all to myself, I will settle for anything at the moment. I am desperate to spend some time with you."

Rachel took a deep breath, trying not to let his huge eyes and smile affect her so much. She felt rotten. How the hell did she end up in this mess?

"Sure you can tag along. I need to see you too Blaine… I… I just…. I'm sorry OK ?"

He looked puzzled for a moment as he placed his hand on her cheek.

"Sorry for what beautiful?"

She just shrugged, knowing she couldn't tell him here, like this. It wasn't fair on him. He needed to know the truth , but not in a packed classroom. She would wait until later.

"It doesn't matter."

He looked at her in concern . She leaned into him as he kissed the top of her head.

It was only when he wrapped an arm around her in a hug, she remembered the pain from earlier. Her breath caught as she flinched away from his touch.

She cursed at herself for reacting that way again, it was bad enough that Sam had seen the bruises earlier , the last thing she needed was for Blaine to see. She was expecting him to react in some way, but not in the way he did. He sighed and actually looked angry at her.

"What is your problem Rachel? I only put my arm around you. Don't act like the virgin Mary now, not after Saturday night."

Her mouth fell open as he slung his bag over his shoulder and marched out of the classroom. She shook her head and made her way to the next class. It was miserable. As the day wore on, the pain was somehow getting worse, she had Sam and Blaine in her head, and was looking over her shoulder for Quinn every minute. By the time she staggered to her lockers at the end of the day, she didn't know if she could make it to milkshakes with Santana and Blaine. She just wanted to go home and rest.

She opened her locker up, frowning as she realised she didn't even have a bag with her and she didn't need to be here. She slammed it shut, wincing with the pain it caused her. When she caught her breath again, Blaine was standing there, staring at her. He still looked pretty pissed off. Maybe Sam had told him after all? Right now, she didn't care. She just wanted to get away and shut herself out from the world. She looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"So uh…. I think maybe it's best we skip tonight. We should do something when you are in a better mood."

Rachel raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"When I'm in a better mood? Me? Are you serious right now?"

He shrugged, then nodded. His eyes looked cold and hard.

"Do you know how horrible it is for me to try and hug you for you to push me away? I'm fed up of trying Rachel. I think we both need time to process things. I'm skipping tonight. Hopefully you will be in a better mood tomorrow and we can have a chat then or something."

Rachel leaned back against her locker, banging her head in frustration, hoping she wouldn't cry.

"If you really feel that way then maybe we should just skip the chats all together?"

He shrugged again, his icy glare not changing.

"Maybe we should. See you around."

She watched as he walked away, then she gathered up all her strength to make it out to the parking lot. Santana was waiting by her car.

"How's it going dwarf? I have been worried about you all afternoon."

Rachel smiled at her friend as they both climbed into the car, Rachel somewhat slower than Santana, every move was hurting her. Santana actually had to reach over and plug her seatbelt in for her, the pain was just too much.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Well… as fine as someone with a million broken ribs and in the middle of a cheating drama with two best friends can be."

Despite everything, both girls laughed as she started up the engine.

"Do you mind if we just hang out at mine tonight? I need to crawl into bed. I can't sit upright without wanting to pass out. "

"Sure we can dwarf. Just as long as I'm not at mine, I don't really care where we are."

Rachel hadn't asked Santana about her home life yet, and she sensed that she wasn't ready to talk about it. If she had learnt one thing about her new friend, it was that she only spoke when she was ready to. When they got back to hers, Shelby had left her a note saying she wouldn't be back until ten that night and that she had left her some dinner to heat up. It suited Rachel just fine. The less she saw Shelby, the happier she was.

Instead of milkshakes, they grabbed some ice-cream from the freezer and headed up to her room. Rachel made Santana hold the ice-cream while she got changed. She needed to be in something comfortable. She found some yellow summer shorts and a loose fitting white summer top, it was an unusual combination but she couldn't bear to be in anything that rubbed against her bruises. And she didn't want to just get straight into her PJ's as Santana was over, she thought it would be rude.

As she got changed, Santana gasped.

"Oh Rachel. Quinn is not going to get away with this."

Rachel shrugged. She felt perfectly fine changing in front of Santana, she had already seen the state she was in earlier.

"Wow, I must look pretty beat up, you just called me Rachel."

Santana laughed, opening the ice- cream and handing her a spoon.

"I felt like being nice. Don't get used to it though."

Rachel grinned as she climbed into bed, sitting up against the pillows and headboard, and invited Santana to come and sit along side her. They gossiped while they ate the ice-cream, Rachel filled her in on everything that happened with Sam at the end of lunch and Blaine. Santana told her all about how Brittany was pressuring her to go round her house, but because of the troubles she was having at home, she wasn't ready to invite her over just yet. They chatted and laughed the way best friends were supposed to do, and if it wasn't for the fact that Rachel was covered in bruises, it would have been a nice evening.

Before they knew it, it was seven.

"Well, I better get going dwarf. Thanks for having me over. It's been fun. I'll wait for you in the parking lot at school tomorrow OK ?"

"You don't have to be my body guard Santana. It's fine."

Santana rolled her eyes as she plumped up some pillows and forced Rachel to lie down so she could rest. She pulled the covers up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. It surprised them both.

"You are my best friend. It automatically makes me your bodyguard. No arguments. See you tomorrow OK ?"

Rachel smiled and nodded, watching her as she walked out and quietly closed the door behind her.

She tried to get comfortable on her back, but it was no use. It was hurting to even breathe now. In the end , she laid on the side that had only been punched once. It was easier now, and she settled down under the covers with her back to the door. When she heard the door open again, she groaned, not wanting to move now she was comfortable.

"You might be my best friend, but you are a pain in my ass. I can't move to look at you, it hurts too much. I take it you've forgotten something?"

There was no answer, but she felt the bed sink down. She waited for a moment for Santana to speak, and when she didn't, she reluctantly turned on to her back, gasping as she saw Sam perched on her bed. She frantically tried to sit up, shots of pain searing through her body as she did. Sam scrambled off the bed and walked round to the other side, the side Rachel had just been laying on.

"Come on, lay back down. Get comfortable again."

She shook her head, her mind was in a blur. Had she fallen asleep or something? What the hell was Sam doing in her bedroom?

"Don't be so stubborn Rach, just lay down." He sat on this side of the bed now, while she rolled her eyes but lay back down on her side anyway, she couldn't argue with him, it was the only way it didn't hurt. "I just want to talk OK? Please don't be scared."

Rachel's eyes widened as he looked at her in concern.

"I'm not scared of you Sam. What are you doing here?"

She watched him as he pulled the cover down slightly and reached for her hand. When he was holding it firmly in his, he pulled the cover back up, tucking it under her chin.

"I wanted to come over and check on you. Weirdly enough, Santana just let me in. She told me to look after you."

Rachel looked at their hands linked together and didn't know what to say. What could she say?

"I felt sick when I saw those bruises earlier Rach. I actually skipped school and went home. Who did this to you? Why won't you tell me?"

She still couldn't answer him or meet his eyes. Instead, she just squeezed his hand. She wanted to let him know that she appreciated him being here, but other than that, she didn't have anything to say.

"Was it Blaine?"

She couldn't help the loud laughter that escaped her lips at his question. It hurt to laugh, and she felt bad when she saw his hurt expression, but she couldn't help it.

"No Sam, it wasn't Blaine. Come on, you know that."

He smiled slightly. She tried not to stare at the cute dimple on his left cheek as he smiled.

"Finally she talks."

Rachel smiled back. She knew she had to be honest.

"It was Quinn."

She jumped as he stood up from the bed, looking angrier than she had ever seen him.

"Quinn did this ? Quinn …. Quinn did this to you?"

She gasped as he punched her wardrobe, leaving a huge dent in the woodwork. With great difficulty , she managed to haul herself out of bed.

"Sam."

He wouldn't look at her as he started pacing up and down her room.

"This is my fault. She hurt you because of me. Fuck. Shit. Why didn't you tell me yesterday Rach? If you had just told me yesterday then today wouldn't have happened."

She stopped him pacing, holding his arms and looking him in the eye. He took a few minutes to look at her, and when he did, his eyes were full of guilt and hurt.

"Calm down. It's not your fault OK ? It is what it is. Now stop."

He sighed and shook his head. He hung his head in his hands, and she frowned, taking his hands away.

"You're bleeding Sam. Come on, let's go sort this out. This is what you get for trying to break up my bedroom."

He managed a small smile as she led him to the bathroom and started bathing his hand. His knuckles were all grazed and bleeding as she ran the tap. She handed him a towel and took him back to her bedroom. She sat on her bed and looked up at him, he was calmer now.

"As you are here anyway, we might as well talk. We have to talk about the uh… the … well…. I shouldn't have kissed you. Twice. I'm sorry Sam."

Her words seemed to break him out of the fog he was in, he came and sat down beside her on the bed.

"Don't apologize. I didn't come here to talk about the kiss or pressure you. I just wanted to know you were OK . Don't worry about it."

Rachel sighed, and couldn't help but reach for his hand again. It was his hurt one. She kissed it gently then looked up at him.

"Well, I'm sorry anyway. I don't know what's going on with me. I just…."

She winced, clutching her stomach as yet another pain shot through her. It must have been the exertion of helping Sam out with his hand. He looked at her in alarm and ever so gently, laid her down on the bed, making sure she was on her side again, where it didn't hurt so much.

Everything was silent for a moment, and she thought he was leaving. She knew she sounded weak and pathetic, and she was glad he couldn't see her as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Don't go."

A moment later, she felt the bed sink down. Her breathing sped up as she realised he was climbing in the bed behind her.

He softly lifted her so she was laying in the crook of his arm, and kissed her shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere. Now go to sleep."

She wondered if he could hear her heart racing. Her mouth felt dry as he rubbed her arm, tracing patterns into her skin.

"I can't go to sleep with you here."

Her voice was almost a whisper.

He kissed her shoulder again, and she felt his warm breath on her cheek as he whispered in her ear.

"Yes you can. Go to sleep. I will stay with you. I'm not expecting a mind blowing, earth shattering kiss again. I'm not expecting anything from you. I just want to be here."

She smiled as she got comfortable in his arms.

She ever so gently pulled his hand down and placed it across her bruises. It hurt at first, but he was so soft and gentle that after a few moments, it just felt soothing. The pain felt like it was melting away now he was here holding her.

"Earth shattering kiss hey? It must have been good."

She couldn't help the grin on her face as she asked the question.

"It was the best. Now sleep."

He kissed her on the cheek, and not even ten minutes later, she was fast asleep, safe and secure in Sam's arms.


	11. Chapter 11

**Only Hope – 11**

Rachel jumped awake as she heard the front door slam. She gasped as she realised Sam was in bed with her, holding her in his arms. She thought she had dreamt it.

"RACHEL!"

She jumped again at Shelby's voice. She checked her phone, it was exactly 10pm. She scrambled out of bed and pulled Sam up.

"You have to hide. Quick, she can't see you in here."

He looked amused as she threw his shoes into his arms and shoved him towards the wardrobe.

"You want me to hide in here? I'm a little bit taller than you Rach, I'm not pocket sized."

She scowled at him and opened the wardrobe door.

"Oh haha. Just get in. I haven't brought all my things from my Dads yet because I refuse to believe I will be staying here indefinitely, so there is loads of space. Now be quiet while I deal with Shelby."

Just as she closed the wardrobe door on Sam, Shelby knocked on the bed room door. Rachel replied in her usual way.

"Go away."

She heard a sigh behind the closed door. She glanced at the wardrobe, making sure it was fully shut.

"I just wanted to know why you haven't had anything to eat? I made you something earlier, I left you a note to heat it up. Come on Rachel, I know this is difficult for you right now , but starving yourself isn't going to solve anything."

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I got something with Santana after school. You heat it up and eat it, I'm not interested."

She heard another sigh.

"Can I come in?"

Rachel sat on her bed, and glared at the door. In all the madness, she had forgot that she was currently covered in bruises, the pain was flaring up again.

"No."

She stood up as Shelby opened the door anyway. She was just about to go mad at her, when she noticed she had something in her hand, she held it out to Rachel, and didn't step through the doorway. Rachel frowned and took it from her. She couldn't hide her surprise as she looked at the item.

"A lock?"

Shelby nodded, and took a screwdriver out of her pocket.

"Yep. I'm going to fit it for you now. I want you to feel at home here Rachel, and besides, you are nearly an adult. I have no wish , or no right to barge into your room without permission."

Rachel watched wordlessly as Shelby set to work on the door. It only took five minutes. She handed her the key and a spare. Rachel hated feeling grateful to Shelby, but she was very happy with this turn of events.

She smiled at the woman who was her birth mother.

"Thank you."

Shelby nodded again, and smiled back.

"You're welcome. Now I'm going to go down and have some food, it can't go to waste. Would you like to join me?"

Rachel shook her head too quickly, and noticed the hurt in Shelby's eyes.

"I really did have something to eat with Santana earlier. But… maybe tomorrow?"

Her face lit up at the suggestion, she nodded and walked out of the room. Rachel shut the door behind her and locked it, grinning as she tried to open it and it wouldn't budge. She walked over to the wardrobe and let Sam out, putting a finger to her lips , indicating he had to be quiet.

He grinned at her as he climbed out.

"We have a lock on the door, imagine the things we can get up to now."

His voice was barely a whisper. She stared at him open-mouthed , then hit him on the arm playfully.

"Stop it."

He smiled softly now, and traced her cheek with his finger.

"I'm only joking. I better go now, let you get some rest. I really hope there is a way to climb out of your window without fatally injuring myself."

Despite herself, she giggled.

"Do you have to go?"

He failed to hide the surprised expression on his face.

"It's more a question of do you want me to go? I don't want to stay here if it …. If it puts pressure on you. If it makes you confused."

She shrugged, then went back to her bed. She climbed under the covers and patted the space next to her. He sat down hesitantly , waiting for her to answer.

"Sam, I don't know what any of this means. I still feel bad at what happened between us. I shouldn't have kissed you. And then there is Blaine."

Sam got comfortable on the bed, and scrambled under the covers. He put his arm around her, and just like before, she nestled into his chest. She could hear his heart beating. It sounded like it was beating as fast as hers was.

"I hate to break it to you Rach, but I don't see Blaine around right now. Where is he?"

She sighed again and leaned into him further. She found herself running her hand down his chest. She could feel his abs underneath his t-shirt. She desperately wanted to lift it up and have a peek, but she restrained herself.

"I don't know. He freaked out on me earlier. He went to hug me and I flinched away because of the pain, and then he accused me of being a slut."

Sam's chest rose as he gasped.

"What?"

"Or frigid. I'm not sure. I'm not sure what point he was trying to make actually. And then he said he didn't want to hang out with me until I was in a better mood so…."

"You know… since you came along, I have found it really hard to like my best friend."

Rachel shook her head, feeling rotten.

"Don't say that. I don't want to come between you two."

Sam kissed the top of her head. She realised her hand was travelling lower and lower. She had reached the bottom of the t-shirt, and for a moment, she just gripped on to it.

"Things have been weird between us for a while now. I don't think he ever got over Quinn choosing me over him. He has just changed. I never really see him anymore. He throws all of his energy into his clubs and class things and it's just…. Oh I don't know. I mean, he dumped Quinn way before me and her were an item, but he still seems bitter about it. It's not your fault. Things were turning weird before you came along, now they are just being magnified. "

She heard his breath catch as she slid her hand underneath his t-shirt. She didn't move it, she was too scared to. She just rested her hand on his skin, feeling him breathe.

"Well, regardless of the reasons, you two are best friends. You need to get back on track. What time do you have to leave?"

He gripped her to him, rubbing her arm like he had done earlier, before she fell asleep.

"Well, the beauty about having foster parents is that they don't give a shit about me. I can stay all night and watch you sleep. You are so cute when you sleep. You mumbled my name."

She knew her cheeks were going red, and was glad the lamp was on so her embarrassment wouldn't show too much.

"I did?"

He let out a deep chuckle and she felt him nod.

"Yeah, but then… you also said Blaine's name so…. I don't feel that special anymore."

She instantly felt guilty.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's fine."

They laid there for around ten minutes in silence. She felt comfortable with him. Her hand started travelling higher up his stomach. She couldn't help herself. She could tell without even looking that he worked out. He was rock hard, yet soft all at the same time. He cleared his throat after a while and placed his hand over hers, stopping her from exploring his skin anymore.

"If I lay here with you, you can't be doing things like that. It makes me want to kiss you."

She couldn't help the butterflies in her tummy as he spoke, or the small smile that appeared on her face.

"Is wanting to kiss me a bad thing?"

As soon as she said the words, she wished she hadn't. She didn't mean to keep encouraging him. Everything just felt like a mess, and he was being so sweet to her that she couldn't help it.

He kissed the top of her head, and sighed deeply.

"At the moment, yes. You have Blaine. He needs to know what's going on. He doesn't deserve an explanation after what he said to you earlier, but he still needs to know. So stop talking about kissing and go to sleep. Before I change my mind and realise that kissing you is the least bad thing that could ever happen."

She giggled, and cuddled up to him. He was warm and comfortable. He felt safe. But hadn't Blaine felt safe on Saturday night?

"Did that even make any sense?"

He laughed. She loved the sound of his laugh, she hadn't had the opportunity to hear it much since they had known each other.

"Probably not. Now be quiet and go to sleep so I can listen to you whisper my name again."

She tried to poke him, but he had her hand underneath his still.

"That's not going to happen. But you will stay?"

"I will stay."

He kissed her head again and in no time at all, she was fast asleep. In fact, even though her whole body hurt from the attack earlier, it was the best night's sleep she had had in ages. She woke up at the sound of her alarm beeping, shocked at first that she was laying on Sam's chest, she wondered how on earth he had got here, then she remembered last night and smiled. She seemed to be in exactly the same position as when she had fallen asleep. She rolled out of Sam's arms to reach the alarm, only remembering the pain after she moved. She groaned and buried her head in the pillows as she clutched her side. He reached over her and shut the alarm off.

"Firstly, Morning. Secondly, I hope you aren't in too much pain. Thirdly, Can you die quietly? I'm trying to sleep here. And lastly… why the hell do you have your alarm set for stupid o clock in the morning?"

Rachel emerged from the pillows and looked up to see him sleepily smiling at her. He looked absolutely amazing. His hair was all ruffled, and he looked cuter than he ever had before. She actually had to take a deep breath to steady herself before she answered him, he was doing something to her insides that she couldn't even begin to explain.

"Morning . I am in so much pain I want to scream, but I will die quietly just so you can go back to sleep. And it is not stupid o clock, the day is there to be lived. We can't waste our lives in bed."

His smile grew as he blinked a few times lazily. He stretched a bit and she noticed how his t-shirt rode up, revealing his toned stomach. He noticed her looking and she looked away, mortified.

"I hate to break it to you beautiful, but we have nothing much to get up for. Just another shit day at school. I will probably end up expelled today anyway after I've had words with Quinn and her little gang so…. We may as well just stay in bed."

This made her sit up and take notice. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him sternly, which was hard to do considering he looked adorable. And he called her beautiful. He had said it in the letter, but she was so used to Blaine calling her stuff like that , it made her go all shy and tingly when Sam said it.

"You will not be getting expelled or talking to Quinn. I mean it Sam. I don't need you to be the hero. It will only make things worse."

He shrugged and yawned, stretching again.

"Whatever. I'm too tired to care. My alarm doesn't go off for another hour, so that means we can lay here some more. Just because you get up insanely early, doesn't mean I have to. Come back."

He held his arms out to her and did the puppy dog eyes that completely melted her. She grinned and crawled back to him, getting comfy in his arms. She very easily drifted off to sleep again , and when Sam's alarm on his phone finally started beeping, she knew they had to get up.

She couldn't help but run a hand through his hair as he tried to act oblivious to the alarm.

"Come on lazy. Get up. You have to go home and shower and stuff. We have school in an hour. Shelby always leaves at 6am so you don't have to kill yourself climbing out of the window. You can go out the front door like normal people."

He opened one eye and looked at her suspiciously. Then he opened the other and smiled.

"Well that's something I suppose. But I don't have a home , remember?"

Rachel rolled her eyes fondly.

"Wait, let me hire a pity party for you. Oh what a shame, we don't have time. Go back to the foster place you are currently residing in to get showered and ready for school, and we can start making some plans later about how to get you and your family out of this mess. We will find a way. Trust me."

She squealed as he pulled her to him, and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I trust you. And fine, I'm going. Thanks for letting me crash out here last night. See you at school. And Rach, I know the whole situation with us is weird for you , but there is no way in hell I'm going to let Quinn near you, just so you know. It's bad enough you want me to say nothing, I have to at least keep an eye on you."

She shrugged, unable to stop smiling at him.

"I'm hardly going to protest at that. The thought of getting another beating from Quinn terrifies me so it's nice to know someone is looking out for me."

He squeezed her into a hug.

"I will always look out for you."

She hugged him back and felt disappointed when he climbed out of bed, but she knew he had to.

"Bye Sam."

He beamed at her as he put his shoes on and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Bye Rach."

After he left, she showered and got ready for school in a bit of a daze. Did she really just spend the night with a guy? With Sam Evans? Was he really in her bed all night? She smiled as she picked out a baby pink skater dress and pulled her hair back into a simple pony tail. It felt like he had kind of revived her, that he was her medicine after everything she had been through yesterday.

She grabbed a spare school bag from the back of her wardrobe and shoved some books in , reminding herself to put them straight into her locker so they couldn't be ripped up by Quinn. Although, hopefully nothing like that would happen now, not with Sam watching her.

She frowned as she pulled up into the parking lot, was that….? Yes, it was. Blaine was standing there, with a huge bunch of flowers in his hands. When she climbed out of the car, she folded her arms across her chest and looked at him in confusion.

"Before you say anything, I just want you to know how sorry I am. I was a complete jerk to you and … I didn't mean what I said in Science about … well you know. I was a dick, and I want to make it up to you."

She raised an eyebrow and hoped she looked as unimpressed as she felt.

"You think a bunch of flowers makes up for it Blaine? You have no idea what happened yesterday. I needed you."

The intensity of her voice and words shocked them both. She had been so wrapped up in Sam since last that she hadn't realised how much Blaine had hurt her.

He walked over to her car and dropped the flowers in through the window. He was wearing cream pants and a white shirt, For once , he wasn't wearing a bow tie , but he was wearing a waistcoat. He looked like some dashing 1940's TV show extra.

He sighed and turned his huge hazel eyes on her.

"No, the flowers don't make up for it. But I'm not going to stop trying to make it up to you."

He stepped aside just in time for Rachel to see some members of the Glee club wheeling a purple piano out into the parking lot. Everyone had gathered round to stare. What the hell was going on?

"I thought I would apologize in song, I'm not really very good with words so… I'm sorry baby girl, I really am."

Tina from the Glee club placed a stool in front of the piano and Blaine sat down on it, and started tinkling the keys.

**How can I just let you walk away,**

**Just let you leave without a trace,**

**When I'm standing taking every breath,**

**With you, ooohhh,**

**You're the only one who really knew me, **

**At all.**

Rachel's cheeks turned deep red as everyone gathered round stared at her, then Blaine , trying to figure out what was going on. Was he really serenading her in the school parking lot right now?

**So take a look at me now,**

**There's just an empty space,**

**There's nothing left here to remind me,**

**Just the memory of your face,**

**So take a look at me now, **

**There's just an empty space,**

**If you're coming back to me it's against all odds,**

**And that's what I've got to face.**

**I wish I could just make you turn around,**

**Turn around and see me cry,**

**There's so much I need to say to you,**

**So many reasons why,**

**You're the only one who really knew me at all.**

**So take a look at me now,**

**There's just an empty space,**

**There's nothing left here to remind me,**

**Just the memory of your face,**

**So take a look at me now, **

**So there's just an empty space,**

**But to wait for you is all I can do,**

**When that's what I've got to face.**

**Take a look at me now**

**Take a look at me now.**

Everyone around them burst into applause and when the bell rang, people started disappearing into the school, ready for first lessons.

Blaine walked over to Rachel, his face full of uncertainty.

"Did you like it?"

She felt too stunned to speak for a moment, and he looked at the ground sadly, making her heart hurt.

"Blaine… I- I …. It was beautiful but…. Things can't just go back to the way they were….. we can't…. listen, I have something to tell you."

To her surprise he grinned and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm so glad you liked it. I was worried it would be a bit over the top and weird but I had to get it out. I missed you yesterday. I can't believe we didn't get to hang out because I was being a tool. Come on, we better get to class."

Rachel looked down in shock as he held her hand, linking her fingers in his.

"Wait, Blaine, listen to me. None of that matters." She was frustrated as he marched along, pulling her with him, heading into school. "I really have to speak to you, it's urgent."

Her heart was racing at the thought of telling Blaine about Sam, but she knew she had to. She was going to before last night anyway, but after spending the night with Sam, she knew there was no going back now.

"We can talk later baby girl. I really can't be late. I have a perfect attendance record and it would be awful if I got a black mark this close to the school year ending."

Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head, exasperated. She tried to shrug her hand away, but he gripped on tighter, he was actually starting to hurt her a little bit.

"Imagine, a black mark. That is basically the same thing as murder and world famine. How awful."

Blaine looked put out at her words, and cast her a scathing look as they headed for their lockers.

"No need for sarcasm Rachel. It's a big deal to me OK? Don't take the piss."

She shook her head again and pulled him to a stop.

"Why won't you listen? I am trying to tell you something."

He sighed, his jaw set in a hard line.

"What is it?"

She took a shaky breath, and let go of his hand.

"I'm so sorry Blaine but…. I don't really know how to say this… I have been trying to think of some way but I guess the only way is to be honest so…. I kissed Sam. Twice."

When his eyes widened, she braced herself for the crushing blow. She braced herself for the hurt across his face, the questions and the anger. But none of that came. Instead, she was left open mouthed as he smirked, his usually warm eyes turning hard as he grabbed her hand again, this time deliberately squeezing her fingers, painfully.

"I know. Do you really think I'm stupid? I am pretty much the king of this school baby girl, I know everything. I always had you down as a tart, turns out… I was right."

He laughed, it was a bitter nasty laugh. Rachel stared at him in horror, wondering how she had managed to get a person so wrong.

She yelped as he roughly pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was so hard it hurt her mouth, and she cried out in pain as he bit her bottom lip, drawing blood. Why the hell was he kissing her? Was he crazy?His hands roamed her back and pressed into her side, making her eyes water with pain as he touched her bruises.

She pulled back and pushed him away staring at him in confusion , her hand holding her sore lip. It was only when his eyes travelled down the corridor, she knew they were being watched. And she knew without even looking who it was. Her heart sank, and she wanted to cry as she slowly turned to where Sam was standing, a look of utter betrayal on his face. He was the reason Blaine had just kissed her. He knew Sam was standing there.

If she could have taken away the pain on Sam's face right at that moment, she would have. She jumped at Blaine's laughter.

"Catch you later my gorgeous girlfriend."

His voice was loud enough for Sam to hear, Blaine had made sure of that. She watched in despair as Blaine walked down the corridor, whistling to himself.

She turned to explain what had just happened to Sam, but before she had the chance, he shook his head sadly and walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Only Hope – 12**

Rachel was in a state all morning. She desperately wanted to talk to Sam, but he wasn't in any of her lessons. Luckily, neither was Blaine. She didn't quite know how she was going to deal with him, he had really scared her earlier.

When lunch came round, she grabbed all her books, shoved them in her bag, and started running for the class she always tutored Sam in. Her heart dropped when she realised he wasn't there. She waited for fifteen minutes, each minute that went by filled her with more and more disappointment. When she knew for certain he wouldn't show, she walked sadly to the girls bathroom and locked herself in a cubicle. It was the only place she felt safe from Quinn. And right now, from Blaine.

When it was five minutes until the end of lunch, she came out of the cubicle, her stomach was growling, and her body still hurt from yesterday. She walked over to the sink and started washing her hands thoroughly. She hated public toilets , but today, it had really been her only option. She desperately wanted to see Sam. She had to explain to him about earlier. She half smiled, and half wanted to cry as she thought of how they had laid in each others arms all night.

She turned the taps off and headed to the hand dryer. As the loud noise of the dryer echoed across the room, she found herself day dreaming about Sam's arms and the way he had held her last night. She yelped out in pain as somebody grabbed her hair from behind and yanked her head back. She knew who it was before she even turned around. She managed to break free and tried to run from her, but she ended up running in the opposite direction to the exit, which was the last thing she needed.

"Well well, if it isn't Berry. You have some guts turning up at this school after yesterday. I would have thought that would have been enough of a warning, but no, you just keep coming back for more."

Rachel knew she only had two choices. She could lock herself in another cubicle until Quinn left her alone, or she could try and stand up for herself. She didn't want to confront Quinn, but she couldn't stay locked up in a toilet cubicle every time she was at school either. Besides, her cheerleader friends were no where in sight, it was just her. Today was a more even fight.

"Leave me alone Quinn. I'm not scared of you."

Quinn smirked and raised her eyebrow, taking a step closer.

"You should be. You really should be. I haven't even started yet. I can't bear to look at you, and until I drive you out of this school, I won't be happy."

Rachel held her breath as Quinn reached for her hair yet again, and yanked her head forward. She cried out in pain as she pushed her bangs out of the way and dug her fingernails into the wound on her head. She was just about to scream as loud as she could, when she heard a voice behind Quinn.

"Get the fuck away from her you crazy bitch."

Quinn let go, more in shock than because she wanted to. Rachel's eyes were watering as she tried to regain her balance.

Sam.

She ran over to him, tears in her eyes, and buried her head in his chest.

She instantly felt safer as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Oh. How sweet. Berry has a knight in shining armour. A knight in shining armour who happened to be my boyfriend just a few days ago."

Rachel could hear the bitterness in her voice as she spoke. She didn't want to look. She stayed buried in Sam's chest, it was safer here.

"You know as well as I do that we didn't love each other. We never did. So don't you dare try to play the victim. You are fucking crazy. Seriously, I can't stress that enough. The only reason you have got away with this so far, is because Rachel has begged me not to say anything. If I see you anywhere near her again, your last few weeks at this school are going to be the worst of your life, do you understand that?"

She heard Quinn scoff and mutter whatever. Then she listened as her footsteps echoed across the bathroom and she made her way out. Rachel stayed where she was. She didn't want to look up. She didn't want to move. She just took deep breaths and stayed in Sam's embrace. She finally pulled slightly away from him, but still gripped onto his waist. He looked down at her in concern as she looked into his blue eyes.

"You didn't show at lunch today."

Her voice was tinged with sadness as she spoke. He brushed her hair out of her face, his eyes widening as he did so. He grabbed her hand and walked her over to the sink.

"You're bleeding."

He grabbed a paper towel and dampened it, placing it on her head softly. She still flinched with pain, but it was comforting to have him looking after her.

She looked up at him as he concentrated on what he was doing. Some girl walked into the bathroom, frowned as she saw Sam standing there with Rachel, and walked straight back out again.

"You didn't show at lunch today."

She repeated herself , wanting him to talk to her. She watched as his jaw clenched. He looked into her eyes briefly, then went back to staring at the paper towel he was holding against her head.

"No."

Her heart sunk at the one word answer. It sounded so abrupt, so final, that it really hurt her.

"Sam, I'm so sorry about what you saw earlier. It wasn't…. It just… It wasn't what it looked like."

He smiled as he reached over for a dry paper towel, and placed this one on her head now.

"It looked like you were kissing Blaine. I'm not going to buy any other explanation for it Rach."

She shook her head, the movement hurting. She was already starting to get a headache from where Quinn had pulled her hair so hard.

"But…. But…."

He put a finger to her lips, silencing her, and smiled , his dimples making her heart melt. He finished drying her head and screwed the paper towel up, chucking it towards the bin.

"You owe me no explanations OK ? Just because I stayed with you last night… it doesn't mean I expected you to dump Blaine and run into my arms. It would have been nice but…"

He shrugged.

She was just about to answer, and tell him how wrong he had everything, when the bell rang, making them both jump.

"I'll catch you later in Glee club Rach."

He turned, and started heading for the door.

"Wait."

She ran up to him, forcing him to look at her.

"Why were you near the girls bathroom at exactly the right time?"

His eyes twinkled as again, he gave her a dazzling smile.

"I might not have showed at lunch, but I was there all the time."

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Huh?"

He shrugged again.

"I have been following you all day. Making sure you get to wherever you have to get safely. I saw you go straight to our class at lunch, and I really wanted to sneak up on you, you looked so sad and cute. And just now, I was watching from the doorway. When Quinn grabbed your hair, I tried to run in but Principle Sue was walking by and stopped me. I walked away until she was out of sight then came running back. I'm just sorry I didn't get here sooner."

He looked at her head wound again, then into her eyes.

Her mouth fell open at his words.

"You've been following me?"

He nodded.

"Yes. Speaking of following you, can you hurry up and get to class? The first bell has already rang and by the time I have followed you to your class and then walked to mine it will be cutting it fine."

She rolled her eyes affectionately.

"You don't have to follow me around Sam. It's fine. Get to class."

He sighed, and rolled his eyes , imitating her.

"Listen, I'm not going to any class until I know you are safe. So if you could just get a move on rather than stand here talking about it, that would be great. You are usually pretty easy to follow due to the fact that you are adorably slow at putting your books away and getting to your next class. This morning, we were at opposite ends of the school and I still made it to your class to linger behind you before you had even walked out the door. So if you could just carry on being that slow, it would make my job so much easier."

She couldn't help laughing now.

"This is madness. Just walk with me instead. You don't have to follow me."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Following only I'm afraid. You have Blaine to walk with you. I am just the looker on. The outsider. "

She sighed, the laughter from before instantly gone.

"That is not true Sam."

She could tell from his face that he wasn't going to say any more on the matter. She started walking away to her class room, every so often looking back and searching for him. She had no idea that he had been following her all day. It was weird now she knew.

Afternoon classes dragged by slowly. She looked out for Sam as she made her way to the last lesson of the day , smiling as she saw his blonde head among the crowd. He wasn't hard to miss.

At the end of the day she started making her way to Glee club. She stopped at the end of a corridor and waited for Sam to catch her up. When he reluctantly did, she grinned up at him.

"Come on, you don't have to stalk me anymore. We are going to the same place."

He nodded and smiled as they walked along. Every single part of her wanted to reach across for her hand. There was even a few times when they walked where their hands brushed against each other. But she restrained herself. As they walked into the choir room, her stomach filled with dread as she saw Blaine sitting on the front row. His eyes looked cold and hard as he saw who she had walked in with , but he regained his composure and patted the seat next to him.

She shook her head and headed for the seats Sam and Quinn usually sat in. Santana wasn't there yet, so she couldn't go to her for comfort. Sam looked at Rachel in confusion, and then at the empty chair next to Blaine. She saw it as a perfect opportunity to get their friendship back on track.

"You should sit there Sam, I'm fine over here."

He looked even more confused now, but he sat down anyway. She remembered him telling her that he was finding it hard to like Blaine at the moment, and not just because of her, so she thought it made perfect sense for them to sit near each other and talk.

Artie, who was sitting behind Blaine and Sam, waved at her. She waved back and smiled in greeting.

"This Glee club has so much to thank you for Rachel. We have been trying to get Quinn out for ages, she has always hated it and just seemed to make everyone's lives in here miserable. She only joined because of Sam. You gave her the push she needed to finally quit."

She looked at Artie in shock.

"Really? She's quit?"

He nodded his head and grinned at her just as Mr Schu and Santana walked in. Santana smiled and came running over to her, greeting her with a hug before taking a seat in the chair next to her.

"That is right everybody, I can confirm that Quinn has left the club and will not be coming back."

There was a general murmur of appreciation around the room. Rachel knew Sam was looking at her, but she couldn't meet his eyes. She stared at her legs instead.

Mr Schu carried on speaking.

"As you all know , we are doing three songs at National's . We already have the big group number figured out, but we need a soloist for one song. I am going to give you all a chance to come up here and sing, then we can figure out who and what song will be best for the competition."

Rachel stood up, her legs shaking slightly as she realised everyone was looking at her.

She walked over to the teacher.

"Is it OK if I go first Mr Schu?"

He smiled kindly and gestured for her to take centre stage. She cleared her throat and looked at the room, she felt sick and nervous now she was actually here doing it, but she couldn't back out.

"As some of you may know, there has been a bit of drama since I have joined this school. I have no idea if this is what all schools are like or … or if I just became incredibly unlucky. I have been through some things , and I have surprisingly made some friends who are already very precious to me." She glanced at Santana as she said this , who smiled at her and crinkled her nose. She took a deep breath and carried on. "But there has been one person who has actually come to mean more to me than anything. I realised today that I can't imagine getting through the days without you."

She watched as Sam looked at Blaine , then hung his head low, a tortured expression on his face. Blaine folded his arms across his chest and sat there with a smug smile.

She rolled her eyes , and muttered to the piano player the song she wanted to sing.

Just before the music started up, she shocked the whole choir room.

"Sam Evans, this song is for you."

**I can't win, I can't reign  
I will never win this game  
Without you, without you  
I am lost, I am vain,  
I will never be the same  
Without you, without you**

**I won't run, I won't fly  
I will never make it by  
Without you, without you  
I can't rest, I can't fight  
All I need is you and I,  
Without you, without you**

**Oh oh oh  
You You You  
Without...  
You You You  
Without...you**

**Can't erase, so I'll take blame  
But I can't accept that we're estranged  
Without you, without you  
I can't quit now, this can't be right  
I can't take one more sleepless night  
Without you, without you**

**I won't soar, I won't climb  
If you're not here, I'm paralyzed  
Without you, without you  
I can't look, I'm so blind  
I lost my heart, I lost my mind  
Without you, without you**

**Oh oh oh  
You You You  
Without...  
You You You  
Without...you**

**I am lost, I am vain,  
I will never be the same  
Without you, without you  
Without...you**

She had become totally lost in the song. All she could see was Sam's face during the entire time. She knew Blaine was staring at her open mouthed, but she blocked it out. Everyone in the room burst into applause, but she could only see Sam. He stood up and walked over to her.

She thought he was angry for a minute, until he cupped her face and pulled her towards him. She smiled as he crushed his lips into hers. Her hands found his chest as they kissed, she felt complete right now. She had been waiting to do this since yesterday. He had spent the whole night with her and they hadn't kissed at all. She had felt too guilty about Blaine. It was only since this morning, after Blaine's weird freak out, that she realised it was OK to like Sam. She wanted everyone to know. She didn't want to hide it any longer.

They broke apart as Mr Schu cleared his throat.

"That was amazing Rachel, but the kissing really isn't appropriate."

"This is garbage."

Rachel gripped Sam's hand as they turned to face Blaine. He was standing up, his fists balled at his sides in anger.

"You know what's garbage dude? You pretending to care about Rachel, while all the time … not giving a shit."

Mr Schu sighed behind them.

"Language Sam. And guys? I can't have this drama in my club. I told you last week. Suck it up, or get out."

Rachel stepped forward and reached for Blaine, she was more surprised than anyone when he didn't back away and let her take his hand.

"Blaine, I never meant for any of this to happen. You just saw my feelings for Sam, he has been there for me. And you weren't. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. You weren't there when I needed you."

"She's right, you would make a shockingly bad boyfriend."

Rachel tried not to grin at Santana's words. She tried to hide her amusement as she looked at Blaine and tried to focus.

"But the one thing I want from all of this mess, is for you and Sam to be friends again."

She let go of Blaine now and turned to Sam. Her hand slid round to the back of his neck.

"I really like you Sam. But I can't date you if you and Blaine hate each other. It's not an option for me."

Sam was just about to say something, when Blaine replied instead.

"Yes you can. It's fine. I know I haven't treated you all that well so … go for it. Seriously, I'm cool with it. And Sam, maybe we can hang out after school tomorrow? Have a catch up or something?"

Rachel stared at Blaine in shock.

"Are you serious?"

He nodded, giving her the smile she had grown to love. She looked uncertainly at Sam, he looked more confused than she did.

"I mean… if you are sure you are OK with it then… yeah, we can have a catch up tomorrow. Sounds cool bro."

Blaine nodded again, and slapped Sam on the back in a friendly manner. Then he walked over to the piano, telling Mr Schu it was his turn to sing a song. Rachel pulled Sam over to sit with her. She couldn't help beaming at him when he looked at her.

"Well that was easier than I thought. He took it rather well."

Sam looked at her, his mouth open, then he stared at Blaine. He leant over and spoke quietly so only she could hear him.

"Yeah, that was weird. I wouldn't hold your breath Rach, I have a feeling something isn't right."

She elbowed him playfully in the ribs and linked his fingers with hers.

"Stop being all doom and gloom. He's fine with it. Everything is going to be OK."

She leaned her head against Sam's shoulder as they watched Blaine sing.

For the first time since she started at this school, she knew things were going to turn out fine.

**A/N - HEY GUYS! JUST A QUICK THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ARE READING AND REVIEWING THIS STORY. I HAVE LOST QUITE A FEW READERS DUE TO BLAINE BEING A JERK, BUT I DID WARN PEOPLE AT THE START THAT THERE WERE MAJOR CHARACTER CHANGES THROUGHOUT SO...**

**THERE IS ALWAYS A REASON FOR EVERYTHING, SO PLEASE, KEEP READING! AND THANKS AGAIN XXX**


	13. Chapter 13

**Only Hope -13**

Once Glee club finished, Santana hung back , waiting for Rachel.

"We still grabbing some milkshakes today then dwarf?"

Rachel nodded, smiling at her friend.

"Of course. Do you even need to ask?"

Santana looked warily at Sam, then back at her.

"I just thought things might have changed now because …. Well, because of him."

Sam leant over and gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek. It bothered her that Blaine was being painfully slow about walking out of the choir room. She couldn't fail to notice the look he gave them as Sam kissed her.

"Don't let me cramp your style. I have to go back to a home that isn't mine with a pretend Mum and Dad who don't want me there. So I have plenty to do."

Rachel rolled her eyes fondly.

"Sam, don't be so dramatic. You can tag along with us if you want?"

He smiled and shook his head, clutching on to his bag strap in the way he always did.

"No, I have to catch up on some homework and stuff. It's fine. You two have fun."

He leaned over again, tickling her ear as he whispered.

"I'll see you later when I sneak in through your bedroom window. Make sure you lock your door again tonight."

She couldn't help grinning as he walked away. When she turned back to Santana , she was staring at her with a mixture of amusement and disgust.

"Well, it certainly seems like things are easier for you today now you've made your choice. Sam huh? He actually seems human now he's not with Quinn. But it is really disgusting seeing you all over each other. Ew."

Rachel smiled as she grabbed her bag and linked arms with Santana as they walked out of the choir room.

"Shut up. Anyway, It's all thanks to you really. You let Sam up to my room last night on your way out and we sort of… well, we spent the night together."

Santana gasped, and looked at her as they walked along.

"Rachel Berry, you devil. You spent the night with him? You barely know him!"

She giggled and squeezed her friends arm.

"Not like that. We didn't do anything. In fact, he didn't even kiss me. He was the perfect gentleman. He didn't want to do anything before I had spoken to Blaine. Sam is really caring underneath his moody outside, a bit like you."

Santana tried not to smile as they made their way out to the parking lot.

"Speaking of Blaine, how come he is being so cool about things? I wasn't expecting him to just accept it."

Rachel shrugged as she found her car keys.

"I don't know. I wasn't expecting it either. Maybe it's because he felt bad about how he acted earlier towards me."

Santana glanced at her as they hopped in the car and put their seat belts on.

"What happened earlier?."

"He just went a bit…. I don't know. Creepy. He sung a song for me right here in the parking lot and….."

"I know. The whole school knows about that. How weird. What a show off."

Rachel tried not to smile at Santana's interruption, it was true really. Blaine was a very extravagant sort of person.

"And anyway…. Then, he sort of dragged me into the school and he was actually hurting my hand at one point because he was holding it so hard, and he just kept talking and talking and wouldn't let me get a word in. But in the end I managed to tell him. I told him I kissed Sam twice. And he just smiled and acted really cool, he said he knew because he is the King of the school and knows everything."

Santana frowned as they set off for some milkshakes.

"What the hell? Dwarf, that is weird. King of the school?"

She nodded before carrying on with the story.

"Yes. And it gets worse. Suddenly, he just… I don't know, he grabbed me and started kissing me. And he kissed me so hard that he bit my lip and drew blood. When he let me go, I saw Sam standing behind us, he had seen the whole thing. It's the reason Blaine kissed me I think, to wind Sam up."

She knew Santana was looking at her in shock as they drove along.

"Wait, so Blaine went all creepy jackass on you earlier, and now he's suddenly cool with everything? I don't like the sound of that Rachel. He's up to something."

Rachel rolled her eyes as they arrived at Breadstix for the milkshakes.

"You sound just as paranoid as Sam did. Chill out, everything will be fine. Blaine just realised he went a bit OTT earlier, and it's his way of apologizing, accepting Sam and I are a thing without putting up a fight."

They got out of the car and headed into the restaurant, grabbing their usual booth.

"You are naïve if you think that. I really think something is going to go badly wrong here. It's giving me anxiety just thinking about it."

They ordered their milkshakes and Rachel wanted to change the subject, she didn't want to be negative about the Blaine situation, she sincerely hoped she was right and that Santana's and Sam's doubts were just paranoia.

"I had another run in with Quinn today."

Santana looked alarmed as the waitress brought their shakes over and they thanked her.

"You did? Are you OK ? Please tell me she didn't hurt you again? I am so ready to go all Lima Heights on that bitch."

Rachel choked from laughing as she sipped her milkshake. Santana was funny when she got angry.

"I'm fine. My head hurts again. She decided to corner me in the toilets and dug her fingers into my already sore head wound she inflicted on me the other day. But it was fine. Sam rescued me."

She smiled dreamily as Santana raised an eyebrow.

"What a hero. I'm not even going to ask what trouty mouth was doing in the ladies room."

They talked for another hour and a half, before they decided to make a move. After she dropped Santana off, Rachel smiled on the drive home, happy to have somebody like her as a friend. Not just a friend, but a best friend.

She sighed in relief as she found another note from Shelby when she arrived home saying she couldn't eat dinner with her again tonight because she would be out until ten. She briefly wondered what she was doing out so late every night, but then decided she didn't care. She screwed the letter up and put it in the bin.

When she ran up to her room, she quickly started tidying up. It didn't matter really, Sam had seen it yesterday, but it was different now she knew he was coming.

She wanted to text him to say it was fine to come to the front door rather than climb through the window, but she realised she didn't have his number. She winced as she bent down to pick a book up from the floor, her bruises from yesterday were still hurting. She decided to have a soak in the bath. She had no clue what time Sam was coming and she couldn't wait around doing nothing. In the end , she only spent 30 minutes in the bath. It seemed to help a lot with the pain. She felt soothed and relaxed and she climbed out, wrapping a fluffy white bath towel around her.

When she was back in her room, she frowned into her wardrobe, wondering what the hell she should wear. She definitely wanted something loose again so it wouldn't rub against her bruises.

She jumped as she heard a knock at her window. She rushed over and opened it up, pulling a grunting Sam through. She looked down out of the window after he was in, then stared at him in shock.

"How the hell did you manage that?"

There was no ledges or anything to stand on. He grinned, showing off his cute dimples.

"I'm Spiderman."

Rachel raised an eyebrow, but couldn't help smiling. He looked so proud of himself.

"Clearly."

He looked unbelievably cute tonight. He was in light blue jeans with a red and white checked shirt hanging open and a plain white T-Shirt underneath. His hair looked soft and fluffy, like he had just showered.

"Uh… Rach? I can't believe I am saying this but… you need to put some clothes on. The fact that you are naked under that towel is just…. Well. It bothers me. Get dressed."

Even though her cheeks turned pink, she couldn't help smiling. It made her feel a little hot. She grabbed a floaty blue summer dress and some underwear, before hurrying out of the room.

When she walked back in fully dressed and locked the bedroom door, he pulled her into his arms straight away, making her squeal. She felt his strong arms snake around her waist as he held her close. She grinned and reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her heart raced as he leant down and put his lips to hers. She melted into the softness, eagerly wanting more. She closed her eyes, letting herself relax in his arms. She wanted this. She wanted him. It felt like months since they had kissed and it was only yesterday. She was immediately disappointed when he pulled away, smiling down at her.

"Chocolate."

She frowned in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

Even though he had pulled away, he still held her in his arms. Their faces were just centimeters apart as they looked into each other's eyes.

"You had chocolate milkshake. You taste like chocolate. It's making me hungry."

She laughed and pushed him away from her.

"You better go eat something then."

She walked away and flopped down onto her bed. Her lips turned up into a smile as she heard his footsteps behind her. She grinned as the bed sunk down and his arms embraced her.

"I didn't say I'm hungry for food."

He pulled her down so they were both lying on the bed together, their bodies facing each other. He held her hand as he rested his forehead against hers, smiling at her.

"I'm hungry for you Rach."

His mouth found hers again. She smiled against his lips as he trailed his fingers up and down her bare arm, making her shiver. Her breath hitched as his tongue pushed forward , dancing with hers. She moved forward so that their bodies were touching. He pulled his mouth away again, leaving her pouting.

She gripped his open shirt as he looked at her seriously.

"We can't be this close. Move over."

She grinned as she managed to push his shirt off his shoulders. She felt a little frustrated that he still had his white t-shirt on, but she would give it time. She moved even closer to him now, her hand finding his back. She traced patterns over the thin material of the shirt as she pressed her body into his. He groaned, and kissed her again in response, this time harder than before.

She pulled him even closer to her, she could feel every part of him against her and it felt good. Her hand reached under his t-shirt to explore the soft skin on his back. His breathing was hard and heavy as she lightly traced her fingers over him. Her whole body felt on fire as he placed his hand gently on her hip. Her blood coursed through her veins as he ran his hand up her side. She kissed his neck, he smelt clean and freshly showered. Her free hand reached up to tangle in his soft hair, while he continued his exploration of her body.

She cried out with hurt as his hand glided over her ribs. She rolled over on to her back, clutching the pain.

Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Shit. I'm sorry."

He sat up slightly, looking at her as if she were mad.

"What are you apologizing for? It's not your fault. I'm sorry. I should have remembered you were hurt, I just… I…" He cleared his throat and looked away for a second. "I got carried away."

She smiled and reached across for his hand while still holding her ribs with the other.

"I did too. In fact, this pain right now that makes me want to die, well… it was worth it."

He laughed, letting go of her hand to brush some hair away from her forehead. He leant down and tenderly kissed the bruise on her head, then he held her hand again.

"Don't say that. Because if you say things like that, it just makes me want to…. Well, you know. And then I might hurt you again."

Rachel frowned.

"You didn't hurt me. Quinn did."

He looked away from her and studied her hand in his . He shook his head sadly.

"Yeah. Because of me. It's my fault you're black and blue. I'm so sorry Rach."

She sighed and rolled her eyes affectionately. She knew he was being sweet, but she didn't want to hear it. All she cared about was this moment. She moved the hand that held hers over to her stomach, and very carefully, placed it where the pain hurt most. He flinched away, his eyes widening in horror.

"No. I can't. I might hurt you."

She couldn't help scowling as she grabbed his hand back and put it over her ribs again, firmer this time. Her hand lay over the top of his as he held her.

"No you won't. We laid like this all night last night, what's the difference?"

He smiled slightly, and she didn't know if it was her imagination, but he looked a bit embarrassed.

"The difference is, last night… you were someone else's girl. I had no intention of running my hands all over your body, as much as I wanted to. But tonight, you're mine. And it's going to be hard to behave."

She shrugged , grinning at him wickedly.

"Going on one date with somebody does not make me their girl Sam. And maybe I don't want you to behave."

He smirked at her words as she pulled him down for a kiss. He angled his body so he was hovering over her, his hand still resting on her ribs. The pain was already dying down, he just seemed to have a way to soothe her. He let out a moan as she sucked and nibbled on his full bottom lip, before drawing him in for a deep kiss, once again, their tongues fighting for dominance.

Rachel wouldn't like to think how much time they had spent that night being completely possessed by each other. To her frustration, every time things got heated, Sam would back off and talk about something completely random for ten minutes, trying to cool down. She soon persuaded him to come back to her again. Since he had accidentally hurt her , his hands had remained in one place, much to her disappointment. By the time they heard the front door slam, her lips felt swollen from a night of making out. He kissed the tip of her nose.

"You need sleep. You better get ready for bed."

She couldn't help but look at him, her eyes full of disappointment, as she lightly ran her fingers down his muscular arm. He hadn't let her take his t-shirt off tonight, she would work on it another day.

"It's only ten. I don't want you to go."

He couldn't hide the sparkle in his eyes at her words.

"Who said anything about me going? But you still need sleep. You're bruises aren't going to heal if you don't rest up. And by the pain you are still in, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a broken rib or something Rach. I will stay like last night, but no funny business. If I stay, you sleep. That's the deal."

She scowled at him and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the happiness on her face.

"Fine. I'll go and say hi to Shelby as well, that way… she won't bother us later."

She reluctantly climbed off the bed and found her white vest top and shorts she often wore for bed, then ran downstairs to greet Shelby. When that was done, she raced back upstairs to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face before bed. She checked her reflection in the mirror. She looked glowing. She gasped as the bathroom door opened to reveal a grinning Sam. She ushered him inside quickly.

"Are you crazy? Shelby might see you."

He started looking around her bathroom and shrugged, a smile still on his face.

"I need to brush my teeth. And then store my toothbrush somewhere Shelby can't see. Any good hiding places in here?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"You brought a toothbrush."

He nodded.

"Of course. I practically live here now."

Rachel couldn't help but giggle at this, she found him a place to put his toothbrush, and told him to be quick and make sure Shelby didn't hear him while she hurried back to her bedroom.

When he walked back in, she was sitting on the bed, waiting for him. He locked the door behind him, and looked at Rachel with such an intensity in his eyes that it made her blush.

"What?"

Her voice sounded high pitched and girly under his gaze. He shook his head, and stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets.

"It's just… I'm not so good with the complimenting stuff….. I'm not like Blaine."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Don't compare yourself to Blaine. I know you aren't him. I like you for you."

He smiled faintly at this, then went back to the intense stare.

"It's true though. He's good at talking girls up and being all charming, and I'm just… I'm shit. But you look really fucking hot right now."

She burst out laughing, feeling guilty as he looked offended.

"I'm sorry. Most guys just wouldn't swear while giving a girl a compliment."

He frowned.

"Well like I said, I'm not most guys."

She grinned and stood up, walking over to him and grabbed his hand.

"I know. And I'm glad you're not most guys."

She led him over to the bed, and climbed in the covers.

"And just so you know…. You are also hot as fuck."

His mouth fell open as he opened up his arms so she could snuggle into him.

"Rachel Berry. You just dropped the F bomb. I'm a bad influence on you."

They sunk down into the covers, her back against his stomach as his arms wrapped around her. She placed one of his hands over her bruises just like last night, and instantly felt content and protected.

"You're the worst."

She yawned, and moulded herself to him tighter. She felt safe in his arms. He kissed her head, his breath tickling the back of her neck as they lay there together.

"Sweet dreams Rach."

She wanted to fight against sleep. She wanted to spend every minute she could with Sam. But it was only ten minutes before she was fast asleep in his arms.


	14. Chapter 14

**Only Hope – 14**

For the second night in a row, Rachel slept soundly in Sam's arms. When she woke up in the morning , she ran her hand up under his t-shirt without even realising what she was doing. She loved the feel of his soft toned skin. She moaned in frustration when he clasped his own hand over hers, stopping the movement.

"Morning. Behave."

She sighed as she took her hand away and cuddled up to his chest.

"You are no fun."

He chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"And you are a tease. So we are even."

She squeezed him in a hug.

"You need to go home and get ready for school."

He nodded, and very reluctantly climbed out of bed.

"I heard Shelby leave a while back so I'll go out the front door."

Rachel smiled at him from the bed that now felt empty.

"She would have left an hour ago now, why weren't you asleep?"

He flashed her his dimples with a wicked grin.

"I was watching you sleep."

She buried her head into the pillows in embarrassment.

"Oh my God. Stop doing that!"

He shrugged, still grinning.

"I can't. It's my favourite thing to do."

She buried her head into the pillows even further, and he came over to her laughing. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before heading for the door.

"See you at school Rach."

She smiled sadly as he walked out. She didn't want him to go. Her bruises felt slightly better today, it was probably the combination of the soothing bath last night and having Sam with her.

She showered and dressed. She was feeling more like herself today so she wore a lime green floaty dress and let her hair hang loose over her shoulders.

School was pretty uneventful for once. It seemed like whenever she wanted to speak to somebody, the teachers made them work in silence. Sam was in a few of her lessons that day , and he was sitting so close to her that she could barely move. Sometimes , when they didn't have to write, he would slouch back in his chair and put his arm around her shoulders, making her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. She didn't get to spend lunch with him, he had to go and see Miss Pilsbury the guidance counsellor about something to do with his college application. She locked herself in a cubicle in the girls bathroom again through fear of running into Quinn without Sam. It sucked that she couldn't hang out with Santana at lunch, she was often in cheer rehearsal or hanging out with Britt. The afternoon was much the same as the morning, and at the end of the day, Sam met her at her lockers.

"So… I'm going to just stay away from your place tonight."

He leaned against the locker next to hers as she opened hers up, frowning at him.

"Oh. OK ."

He smiled at her reaction.

"Aw, don't be like that. I just thought maybe I should cool it or something. I mean… we have spent the last two nights together. That's pretty hardcore for a high school relationship Rach."

She couldn't help but feel hugely annoyed and disappointed as she shut her locker. She shrugged, and looked at the floor.

"Fine."

He placed his hand on her cheek, tilting her head up so she could look at him.

"You make me crazy. And you make me want to do things with you. I don't want to overstep the mark. So maybe I should just leave it tonight. But I don't want to stay away. "

She shrugged again, trying not to let his big blue eyes melt her.

"You obviously do."

He rolled his eyes affectionately and wrapped her into a hug. She huddled into his chest, breathing in his smell.

"Oh my God, you are irresistible when you get into a strop. Fine. I'll be straight over after I've hung out with Blaine. Happier now?"

He kissed the top of her head and gazed down at her. She beamed at him, nodding.

"Much happier. You have fun with Blaine. I have to go now. Santana will be waiting in the parking lot for me."

Just as she reached up to kiss him on the cheek, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Did I hear my name?"

Blaine walked up, pushing Sam out of the way of his locker, staring at her. She smiled at him in greeting.

"I was just telling Sam to have fun with you tonight, that's all. You up to anything fun?"

Blaine smirked as he shoved some books into his locker, and continued to stare at her. He hadn't even acknowledged Sam other than to move him out of the way.

"Oh, I'm not really sure fun is the right word for what we are going to do tonight. It will be memorable."

Rachel shivered as she saw a flash of something cross his face. Her eyes switched to Sam as he dramatically sighed and smiled at his friend.

"Shit. Let me guess, I get to spend another night of watching you very carefully plan your chess tournaments, and if I'm lucky…. Maybe I get to help design some posters for various clubs with you?"

She relaxed as both boys laughed now, obviously feeling at ease with each other. It was Sam and Santana's paranoia from yesterday that had made her react that way when Blaine spoke. She was being stupid.

"Wow. Sounds like you really are in for a night of erm… interesting things. Catch you guys later."

She started walking away, then felt Sam's hand on her arm. He pulled her towards him and grabbed her in another hug. She felt his hot breath tickle her ear as he whispered to her.

"You owe me a whole day of kisses. See you tonight my beautiful girl."

She hugged him back, unable to stop the huge grin on her face at his words. Her legs felt weak and her mind dizzy as he called her his girl. It made her feel like she was on top of the world. She gently pulled his face down so his ear was level with her mouth.

"You owe me actually. And don't you mean fucking beautiful?"

She laughed at his shocked and slightly embarrassed face as she pulled away.

She couldn't help yet another cold chill run down her spine as she noticed Blaine watching them intently. She knew it must be weird for him seeing them together. It was weird for her. Just last weekend she had been kissing him. She knew it must have been a bit insensitive to just act that way in front of Blaine, but to be fair, it was Sam that grabbed her, and they had whispered to each other so there was no way he would have heard what they were saying.

She waved them goodbye and hurried out to the parking lot where a scowling Santana was waiting by her car.

"What took you so long dwarf? I needs my milkshake."

Rachel rolled her eyes as they climbed in the car.

"You will gets your milkshake. Chill out."

Santana laughed as Rachel started up the engine.

"Don't ever say gets again. Only I can pull that off."

When they arrived at Breadstix, Rachel filled her friend in on what happened last night with Sam. The time flew by as they talked and laughed. Soon enough, Santana had already been dropped back home and Rachel was heading back to hers. She knew Sam probably wouldn't be over just yet because he was with Blaine, so she ran herself another bath, hoping it would soothe her again. It did, and she felt refreshed and energized as she picked out some light pink pyjama's and dried her hair.

She kept watching the clock and every time she heard the slightest noise, she would rush to her window, hoping it was Sam. She frowned as her clock pointed to 9pm. She knew he would be later tonight, but would he really be this late? She cursed at herself once she realised that yet again, she hadn't got his number yet. It seemed stupid really, to swap numbers when they spent all day together at school and recently, all night together. She had to ask him when he turned up though, it would be handy for situations like now.

The seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly and by the time midnight came around, she realised he was a no show. She was upset , but came to the conclusion it was her own fault. She had pushed him too much. He had tried to back out earlier after all, and she had gotten all huffy with him. It probably scared him. She would speak to him tomorrow and say sorry for pressurizing him. For tonight, she would just have to be lonely and miserable without him.

It was an awful night's sleep. She tossed and turned all night. A few times she woke up, thinking Sam was in the bed next to her, only to realize he wasn't. Each time was like a crushing blow of disappointment.

She woke up in a foul mood and got ready for school at lightning speed. She was desperate to see Sam. Frustratingly , he wasn't in any of her morning lessons. She realized she wouldn't get to see him until lunch-time. She walked into science class miserably. She worked with Artie now, since the whole weird situation with Blaine had turned nasty.

As she settled down at the table with Artie, Blaine came walking up to their table with a huge smile on his face. She hated to admit that he still made her heart stop a bit, he really was good looking. But he didn't make her heart stop nearly as much as Sam did. She missed him. It was like they hadn't seen each other for years. Could she really feel this way about someone she had only known for a few weeks?

Blaine was all in blue today. Electric blue skinny jeans with a light blue shirt and bow-tie, the colours seemed to make his hair even blacker and his eyes even greener.

"Hello gorgeous. How are we today?"

Rachel looked at Artie in puzzlement, then back at Blaine. Why was he calling her gorgeous after everything that had happened?

"Are you talking to me?"

Blaine laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I'm hardly going to call Artie gorgeous am I?" He looked at Artie now, an apologetic smile on his face. " I mean… no offence. I'm just not into dudes."

Artie laughed.

"I know. It's cool. If you turned your charm on me and started calling me gorgeous, I would probably run you over with my chair so…."

Blaine chuckled, then turned his attention back to Rachel.

"You didn't answer my question. How are you?"

Rachel politely smiled at him, but she didn't feel like making small talk. She wanted Sam.

"I'm fine. Listen, what time did Sam leave you last night?"

She watched as his eyes went cold . His jaw set in a hard line and he shook his head.

"Wow. Not only do I get dumped in a really humiliating public way, you can't even talk to me without mentioning Sam. I was only trying to be friendly and normal, like how we used to be. Remind me not to bother next time."

She instantly felt bad at his words, everything he had just said was true. He started walking away and she rushed over, grabbing his arm so he would talk to her.

"I'm sorry. That was a real shitty move. What I should have said was , I am great thanks for asking, how are you?"

A little warmth returned to his face now.

"I'm fine. Apology accepted."

She smiled at him.

"Good. I am sorry I instantly turned the conversation to Sam. I just really need to talk to him."

He folded his arms across his chest as he stared at her.

"How come?"

She shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed talking to Blaine about this stuff.

"I'm just worried I might have freaked him out slightly yesterday that's all. I know this isn't easy for you to talk about but… he was meant to come over last night after he saw you. And he didn't show. "

Blaine looked surprised for a second , then sighed.

"Usually, it takes him at least a few months to treat girls like shit and walk out on them giving the silent treatment. It sucks that it has already happened with you. It's not even been a week yet."

His words felt like a slap across the face. She looked down at the floor. Her stomach was in knots.

"Oh."

She turned back to her table and sat down next to Artie feeling sadder than she thought possible. She would take another beating from Quinn if it meant Sam would talk to her again. She looked up in surprise as she saw Blaine standing by her table once more.

"I'm sorry Rachel. I didn't mean to be so blunt about that. It's just his thing. He might be my best friend, but he likes to hurt people. And if it helps, I didn't see him last night after all. Just after you went, he had a text on his phone and then ran out on me, saying he couldn't hang out. And I hate to make you even more upset than what you already seem to be, but I caught a quick glimpse of his phone when the text rang through, and I am pretty sure I saw the name Quinn."

Rachel felt like all the air had whooshed out of her as he said that. She felt deflated. The science teacher walked in and told Blaine to sit down. Rachel turned around to look at Quinn. She was sitting with one of her cheerleader friends and they were both throwing Rachel a filthy look. She turned back to face the teacher. Sam had ditched her last night for Quinn. Even as she thought the words to herself, she didn't quite believe it. That wasn't the Sam she knew.

She watched the clock tick by slowly and when the lunch bell finally rang, she leapt out of her chair, grabbed her bag and ran for the classroom her and Sam used. He didn't show. She waited in the corridor outside the class throughout the whole of lunch. The only good thing was that she didn't see Quinn at all.

She made her way to afternoon classes after lunch and bumped into Santana on the way.

"Hey! What's up dwarf? You look sad. If Quinn has been near you I swear I will…."

"No. No… she hasn't touched me." Rachel cut her off, then looked at her gloomily. "It's Sam. He didn't come over last night and today he's been avoiding me."

"Oh. He must have got sick last night or something then, he hasn't been at school all day so he isn't avoiding you. I have him in some of my classes and he has been absent so don't worry. You will see him soon. I'll catch you in Glee club later yeah?"

Rachel nodded and waved goodbye, feeling a little better now she knew Sam wasn't just avoiding her. He hadn't been at school at all. Her stomach filled with dread at the thought of having to ask Quinn if they were together last night. She would take fifty more hits to the ribs as long as she said that Sam hadn't been with her.  
It didn't matter anyway, she didn't see Quinn for the rest of the day. By the time she made her way to Glee club, she was pretty fed up. There were only a few people in the choir room so far. She walked up to Tina and Artie, saying hello.

Tina, who was often quite shy and quiet, grinned at Rachel.

"Ah. Here she is. The cause of all gossip in the Glee club. This club was boring before you came along."

Artie laughed. Rachel smiled, but raised an eyebrow in question.

"What have I done now?"

The three of them greeted Britt and Santana as they walked in the room, then Tina started talking.

"Don't act all innocent. You have two of the hottest guys in this school fighting over you and you are acting all oblivious to it."

Even though everyone around her started laughing, Rachel was still looking confused.

"Wait… are you talking about Sam and Blaine?"

Tina rolled her eyes good-naturedly .

"Who else would I be talking about?"

Rachel was more puzzled than ever.

"But they are cool with everything now. You saw them in Glee club the other day…. They made it up."

Tina shook her head .

"Not from what I saw last night. They were going completely mental at each other. It was quite nasty actually."

The shivers from earlier came back as Rachel stared at Tina in horror.

"What do you mean last night? They…. They weren't together last night."

Tina looked like she was getting frustrated now.

"Yes they were. I saw them . I watched them for about five minutes. It was gruesome."

Artie looked at Rachel in alarm before speaking.

"No, Tina…. Rachel is right. Blaine was speaking to us in science and he told her that Sam bailed on him last night. They didn't see each other."

Now it was Tina's turn to look confused.

"Well they were definitely together when I saw them. It was around eight and me and my parents were driving home from visiting my Gramps. Blaine and Sam were going crazy at each other when we were stuck at some traffic lights. It was only about two minutes away from my house. I rolled the windows down and heard both of them yelling your name , it was about you."

Rachel felt sick as she listened to Tina. This couldn't be true.

Santana spoke up, she looked as confused as everyone else did.

"Hold on, don't you live right on the outskirts of the woods? Gel head and trouty live no where near you. Trouty's foster parents live just around the block from me and Gel head lives over in the posh area. What were they doing near yours?"

Tina shrugged.

"Beats me. All I know is they threw some punches and disappeared."

Rachel gasped.

"What do you mean they threw some punches?"

Before Tina could answer, Mr Schu walked in , silencing the room. Blaine followed him in just five seconds later and Rachel ran over , staring at him in horror.

"You lied to me."

He tried to look surprised, but she could see the smirk on his lips and amusement in his eyes.

"I would never lie to you Rachel. Lying hurts people. It makes people do crazy things. Like …. Like that that time you kissed my best friend. Twice. You lied. You went behind my back. It sucks. What on earth makes you think I would do the same to you?"

He smirked again as she just stared , trying to figure him out.

"Rachel, sit down please."

She glanced at Mr Schu, then back at Blaine. Without warning, she grabbed one of his hands, and noticed his bruised and cracked knuckles. She gasped and dropped his hand, wanting to throw up. Tina was right, Something definitely happened last night.

"What have you done to him?"

Tears sprung to her eyes as he looked at her, giving nothing away. It was only her that noticed his jaw clench in anger as he answered her.

"It's all in your head beautiful. As if I'd hurt Sam. Best friends treat each other with respect."

He said the last words with such venom that it scared her.

"What have you done to him Blaine? This isn't a joke. Tell me where he is."

She jumped as Mr Schu shouted behind her.

"I SAID SIT DOWN. "

She wanted to scream. Blaine's voice was cool and collected as he spoke again.

"I really don't know what you are talking about."

He sat down and ignored her as if nothing had happened. She looked at Mr Schu who was glaring at her , then back at Blaine who was now staring at the piano as if she wasn't even there.

She cried out in frustration as she ran from the choir room , into the corridors, and out of the school as fast as her legs would carry her.

She had to find Sam.


	15. Chapter 15

**Only Hope – 15**

Rachel jumped in her car and started the engine before she had even put her seatbelt on. The car jolted forward and she screamed out as Santana came running over. She opened the door and climbed in the passenger side.

"Are you crazy? I could have killed you."

Santana rolled her eyes and plugged her seatbelt in.

"Cool it dwarf. I know you are an awful driver but going at a snail pace in the school parking lot isn't going to harm anybody."

Rachel groaned and gently banged her head against the steering wheel, then looked at Santana.

"You have to go. I'm going to find Sam."

Santana nodded.

"I know. And I'm coming with you. Beats sitting in that choir room listening to Mr Schu drone on about how much of a team we all are. Besides, you need me."

Rachel squinted at her and did her seatbelt up, before starting the engine again.

"Why do I need you?"

"Because dwarf, I know where Sam lives. And I know where Blaine lives. I also know where Tina lives. And you being new to the school won't have a clue about any of this so… let's go. Sam's house first."

Rachel couldn't argue with those facts. She had no clue where she would have been going if Santana hadn't have followed her out. She rattled of the directions to Sam's house, and Rachel started driving. It was only a few streets away from where she dropped Santana home from milkshakes every night.

Both girls jumped out of the car and ran to the run down, shabby looking house. Rachel knocked on the door frantically. She needed to see Sam. She needed to know he was OK . To her disappointment, a rough looking man who looked to be in his fifties with a beer gut and a stringy white vest answered the door.

He almost leered at the girls in greeting. Rachel could smell alcohol on the mans breath.

"Excuse me sir, we are looking for Sam."

The man scratched his head.

"PATTI!" Santana and Rachel jumped as the man shouted. A short , rounded woman with greying hair came to the front door. She looked as grumpy as the man did. "Patti, these girls here are looking for Sam."

Patti looked the girls up and down.

"He's not here."

Rachel's heart sank. They were just about to close the door on them when Rachel stopped it with her foot, pleading with them.

"Please , we have to find him. You are his foster parents right? Any idea where he might be?"

The man spoke this time, scratching his belly.

"No idea. That boy has caused us nothing but shit. He hasn't even been here the last few nights. Now get outta here."

Rachel flinched as the door slammed in her face. She turned to Santana, feeling desperate.

"Oh my God. Now what? This is all my fault… he's been at mine some nights, but where the hell is he now? This is bad Santana. Really bad."

Santana linked Rachel's arm as they walked back to the car.

"We will find him. You can see his lips from space so he should be easy to track down."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"That is not funny. And when we do find him, the first thing we have to do is get him away from those people."

Santana whistled , nodding her head.

"Yeah. Sam wasn't kidding a few days back when he said about going home to foster parents who didn't give a crap about him. They were dire."

They got back in the car. They were silent for a few minutes as they sat , staring out of the window. Eventually, Santana spoke.

"Right, Blaine's house now. We can ask his Mum or someone about how late he was out last night and if they know anything."

Rachel nodded and drove according to Santana's instructions. Blaine lived in a posh neighbourhood. Every house was massive and they had to be buzzed through some gates to even get to his house. They climbed out of the car again and walked to the imposing front door, ringing the bell.

After a few minutes, the heavy door swung open to reveal a gorgeous guy , in nothing but jeans, grinning at both of them.

"Can I help you?"

Rachel was lost for words as she took in the mans appearance. She could tell he was Blaine's brother. They looked really similar. Luckily, Santana spoke.

"We go to school with Blaine. To cut a long story short, he was meant to take us out last night but he stood us up."

Rachel and the guy both stared at Santana in puzzlement now.

"Wait, my little brother was supposed to take both of you out? Like … at the same time?"

Santana nodded, digging Rachel in the ribs so she would play along.

"Er… yeah. Yes. We come as a package."

The man extended his hand for them to shake at Rachel's words, He was grinning with amusement.

"Nice. I never knew my little bro had it in him. I'm Cooper, . If you ever want to see what a real man is all about… then you should probably come to me. Blaine is still very immature. Trust me girls, you don't want to date him."

Rachel shivered, knowing how true the last part was. Santana pushed Cooper's hand away and frowned at him.

"Can you just tell us what time he arrived home last night and if he was with anyone please? He humiliated us by not showing up and we want to get him back by finding out exactly what he was up to."

Cooper chuckled now and shook his head.

"Wow. You girls are feisty. I'm amazed Blaine was a no show, what an idiot. But sorry, I can't help you. I was out last night. I have no clue."

Rachel groaned and kicked the door, immediately forgetting it was someone else's property. She apologized profusely, but Cooper just laughed it off, blowed them a kiss and shut the door on them. They walked back to the car feeling deflated.

"Did we really have to make it sound like a weird creepy threesome date Santana? Could we not just have said…. I don't know… that we are worried about a friend and we wanted to know some details."

Santana laughed as they both hopped into the car again.

"Nope. That was way more fun. Right…. Back to the serious stuff, the only other place to try and find Sam is the woods."

Rachel stared at her friend as if she were insane.

"The woods? We can't do that. Why would Sam be in the woods? And also… it's a pretty large area of land Santana…. We have no chance of finding him even if he was weirdly enough there somewhere."

Santana shrugged and sat back in her seat.

"Tina saw Blaine and Sam fighting right near her house. She lives at the edge of the woods. It's the last place they were seen. It's the only thing we have. He's not answering his phone so what else can we do?"

Rachel glanced at Santana confused.

"What do you mean he's not answering his phone? How do you know?"

Santana took her phone from her pocket and started scrolling through her contacts.

"A few weeks before you came to the school, Sam and I were partners on this awful Geography project. We swapped numbers to try and schedule some time to work on it. When you ran out of the choir room after Blaine's weirdness, I phoned the number while I was running after you. It just rang out. Here, you try."

Rachel took the phone from Santana with shaking hands and pressed the call button next to Sam's name. She groaned with frustration as she realised Santana was right. The phone was ringing out.

She handed the phone back and started up the engine.

"Fine. Let's go to the woods. But it won't solve anything. He won't be there."

Santana yet again rolled her eyes, she seemed to do that a lot in Rachel's presence.

""We don't know until we try. Come on. Let's get going."

They drove to the woods in quick time. Santana pointed out Tina's house and they parked near. Then they made their way into the trees. After just five minutes, Rachel looked at her friend, gripping on to her arm for dear life.

"Santana, this is pointless. The only thing this is going to achieve is us getting lost. We've only been walking for five minutes and all I see are trees. Everywhere."

Santana carried on walking and smiled.

"It's because we are in the woods. Woods tend to have trees, just so you know."

Rachel sighed and tugged on Santana's arm.

"Don't be sarcastic, let's just get out of here."

Just as they turned around to head back towards the car, something caught Rachel's eye on the ground among all the brown leaves. She rushed over to it, her stomach turning as she recognised the object.

Sam's phone.

They may not have swapped numbers yet but Rachel knew what his phone looked like, he had used it to set an alarm each night he had stayed at hers. She picked it up with shaking hands. It beeped loudly, indicating the battery was low. She looked at his missed calls list, the only person who had phoned him was Santana. He had no messages. Her heart ached as she looked at his phone. Did nobody care about him apart from them?

Santana stared at Rachel in horror.

"What the hell does this mean?"

Rachel shrugged , and placed the phone safely in her pocket.

"It means we keep looking. There is no way I'm going back to the car now."

Santana ran to keep pace as Rachel marched off in the direction they had been heading before they found the phone. They walked for what seemed like hours, but when Rachel checked her phone, it had only been twenty five minutes. Every tree looked the same. She couldn't tell if they had already been in this bit or not.

After walking just five minutes more, they came to a sort of opening, where there was a small pond and not so many trees. They hadn't seen this bit before. Rachel gazed at the pond, then jumped as Santana smacked her in the arm.

"Ow. What the…."

She stopped as she saw her friends face. Her eyes looked to where Santana was staring, and she cried out when she saw what Santana saw. She ran as fast as she could, falling to the ground when she saw Sam laying there, his back against the tree and his legs stretched out. . For a second, she thought the unthinkable had happened. She wanted to throw up. . Until she grabbed his hand and realised it was still warm. He was still breathing. The rise and fall of his chest filled her with relief, he looked just like he was sleeping. Santana rushed to the other side of Sam, and placed an arm over his shoulders.

"Sam." Rachel whispered as she squeezed his hand and gently touched his cheek.

"Come on Sam, wake up." Her voice was louder now, and she shook him, her relief at finding him alive was slowly turning to panic at the state he was in. She checked him over, she couldn't see any visible signs of harm.

He jumped slightly, then opened his eyes slowly. He moaned and closed his eyes again. Rachel put an arm around his shoulder and with Santana on the other side, sat him up away from the tree. She gasped as she saw the dark dried blood on the back of his head, seeping through his hair.

Santana saw too and tried to wake him up again.

"Come on Sam, we need to go and get you checked out. Wake up."

To their relief he opened his eyes again and Rachel's heart leapt when he reached for her hand.

"W-w-whats happened. Where am I?"

Rachel kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand .

"It's OK. You're safe. We just need to get you to hospital so you can rest OK ? And I'm going to be with you every second."

Santana got her phone out and dialled for an ambulance. She gave the location of where they were near the pond in the woods, and all they could do was wait.

Sam couldn't even sit up straight. Rachel sat down and gently pulled his head into her lap so he could lay down, brushing his hair away from his head so she could get a better look at him. Santana went over to the clearing to wait for the ambulance.

He moaned slightly as he gripped her hand.

"Are you really here?"

She wanted to cry. But she wouldn't, not in front of him. She needed to be strong.

"I am really here Sam. I've come to shout at you for bailing on me last night."

She tried to throw in a jokey laugh, but her voice sounded dull and cold.

"My - my h- head hurts."

Rachel gulped as she took another glance at his blood stained hair.

"I know baby. I know. But you will feel better soon. And Blaine will pay for this. "

He had been closing his eyes again, but he opened them at her words.

"Blaine? What… what does he have to do with it?"

Rachel frowned at him in confusion as she stroked his cheek.

"He did this to you."

Sam shook his head, then cried out in pain.

"No. No he didn't. "

He closed his eyes again, and this time, he wouldn't wake up.

Rachel shook him a few times, but he wouldn't rouse. The only thing that kept her from screaming out was the fact that his chest was still falling and rising. And she could feel his heartbeat. It felt like an eternity, but it was really only ten minutes before the paramedics arrived. They rushed through the trees, carrying a stretcher. They gently moved Rachel out of the way while they checked Sam over.

Now somebody was here to help him, she felt the tears fall down her cheeks.

"What's wrong with him? Is he going to be OK ?"

She couldn't watch as they strapped him on to the stretcher. He looked so vulnerable right now that it was hurting her. He was her tough guy. He was always there to save the day and protect her, and she couldn't return the favour.

"It looks like he has had a pretty nasty fall and has a severe concussion. If you two hadn't found him and he would have been here any longer then things would have taken a very bad turn. We need to take him in for some tests for now and wait and see ok?"

The medic was smiling at her kindly. She nodded sadly, wiping more tears away from her face.

"Please… he's…. he's my boyfriend. I have to come with him to the hospital."

The other medic who hadn't spoken frowned and shook his head as they lifted Sam up on the stretcher.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Immediate family only."

Santana came and linked Rachel's arm, glaring at the medics.

"He doesn't have anyone. Not really. Nobody gives a shit but us two. You have to let her go with him. Please."

"The kind medic smiled and nodded, despite the look of anger from his colleague.

"We don't usually let people come who aren't immediate family, but you found him after all. Come on, we have to be quick."

The girls followed the medics as they carried Sam out of the woods. They seemed to know exactly where they were going and found the way out after only ten minutes. The ambulance was parked at the clearing and Rachel climbed in while the medics put Sam in. She squeezed his hand, relieved it was still warm, then looked anxiously at Santana.

"Can you get my car home?"

She nodded and caught the keys Rachel threw at her.

"I'll see you at the hospital soon Rachel. He's going to be OK."

As the medics shut the ambulance doors and she could no longer see Santana, Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that Santana was right. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Only Hope – 16**

Rachel was made to wait in a corridor when they first arrived at the hospital. The kind medic promised he would come out and inform her when she would be allowed in to see Sam. He kept to his word and just twenty minutes later, he came back to find her pacing up and down anxiously.

"It was as we suspected. Your boyfriend has severe concussion. He is dehydrated from being out in the woods for so long and he is on a drip. Believe it or not , luck was on his side. It wasn't too cold out last night and you found him before things got really serious for him. He's in room 24 and you can go and see him now. He probably won't be allowed out for a day or two due to the head injury, but there is no swelling on the brain so he should be fine after a bit of rest OK ?"

She nodded glumly at him, and before she could stop herself, she reached out and hugged him.

"Thank you." She whispered, then hurried off to find room 24.

When she walked in and saw the IV in his hand and heard the steady beep of machines around him, she swallowed, holding back the tears. She dragged the chair close to the bed and held his hand. He opened his eyes slowly, and faintly smiled when he saw her.

"Rach. You don't have to be here you know."

His voice croaked. She frowned and squeezed his hand tightly. She had to remind herself not to hurt him, she just didn't want to let go.

"Of course I have to be here. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Her heart leapt as he squeezed her hand back.

"Thank you. The… the doctors said I have concussion or something. I have a huge bandage thing on my head. I look like a dork."

He sat up slightly to show her the huge white bandage on the back of his head. She smiled in amusement at the face he made as she looked at it, then gently pushed him back down.

"You look gorgeous. And alive. Now stop trying to sit up and stop talking. You need rest."

He rolled his eyes affectionately and stared at her. It only took him a few minutes for his eyes to close again.

She sat there for five minutes, making sure he was definitely asleep, then stepped out of the room. She phoned Shelby and left her a voice message saying she didn't know when she would be back, but that she was in the hospital with a friend and it was important. She tried to be polite in the voicemail, hoping that she wouldn't be in trouble when she finally did show up. She wasn't ready to tell Shelby that Sam was her boyfriend yet. She didn't feel close enough to her for that.

She stepped back in quietly and sat back in the seat, clutching his hand again. He didn't stir. She sat there for around an hour, admiring how cute he looked when he slept. She could see what the attraction was in watching someone sleep now. She always felt embarrassed when he did it to her, but he looked so cute that she couldn't take her eyes off him.

She jumped as the door opened , sighing in relief when she realised it was Santana.

"How's he doing? She whispered as she hovered at the doorway.

Rachel nodded, smiling at Santana.

"He's going to be OK . He's dehydrated and concussed but ….. he's alive. Thank you for helping me earlier Santana. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have found him."

She smiled kindly. It was a genuine smile that lit up the whole of her face. Rachel thought she should do it more often, it suited her.

"I don't want any thanks. I'm just glad he's OK . Uh… listen Rachel. I'm not entirely sure how to say this but… I went back to Sam's foster parents to tell them what had happened. They aren't coming. They don't want him back. They gave me a bin liner full of his stuff and told me if they never see him again then they will be happy. I put his stuff in your car before I drove it back to yours."

Rachel gasped, shaking her head.

"What? No…. no they can't do that. Surely they have to follow some sort of rules or something? They can't just kick him out."

Santana shrugged.

"Well, they have. So…. I don't know. Maybe you should tell him when he wakes."

Rachel nodded and looked at him sadly.

"Listen dwarf, I have to go. Call me if you need anything OK? Tell Sam I'll come and visit him tomorrow. I'm sure he will be thrilled."

She smiled as she watched Santana walked out. She seemed to think everyone disliked her when they really didn't.

She sat and watched him in silence again as he slept. After about half an hour, he stirred again and smiled as he saw her.

"You're still here."

She sighed, but smiled anyway.

"Yes , I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere."

He beamed, showing off his cute dimples, and turned his body in the bed so he was facing her.

"Good."

Her heart ached as she thought of what Santana said. She leaned forward and brushed his floppy hair away from his face.

"Sam?"

He raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't say anything.

"I uh… I met your Foster parents earlier."

He scowled and held her hand tighter.

"Ugh. Poor you."

She took a deep breath.

"The thing is babe… is that erm… well….. they have thrown you out. I'm sorry to tell you this when you are in a state already , but they don't want you back at their house. I have a bag full of your belongings in my car and….."

She trailed off, not sure what to say next. She watched as he tried not to act hurt about it, but he clearly was.

"You can stay at mine. I mean…. You were doing it anyway. Just until we figure something out OK ?"

He shook his head.

"No. I know I did stay at yours but that was when it was fun to sneak around. I can't do it all the time. It's not fair on Shelby and it doesn't solve anything long term. It's fine Rach, you aren't responsible for my problems OK? . I'll think of something."

She looked at him dumbstruck.

"I will ask Shelby. We don't have to sneak around. None of us are going to see you on the streets. It will all be fine in the end."

Sam shook his head again.

"I said no. It's not your problem."

His harsh voice made her flinch. She looked down at her hand in his. She didn't know what to say now.

He pulled her hand forward and kissed it softly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I'm just… I'm going to go back to sleep. My head hurts and I… I don't know I just….."

She squeezed his hand again, it seemed like all she could do. She desperately wanted to kiss him but that could wait. Now wasn't the time. She wished she could be more forward about her feelings but she just didn't know how. She wasn't that type of girl.

"It's fine. Go back to sleep baby. I'm still going to be here."

He smiled, kissed her hand again, and closed his eyes. It was amazing how quick he kept drifting off, but she knew it was all part of the concussion. She wished she could take the pain away from him. She checked her watch. It was only 9pm, she felt like she had been here forever. She settled back in her chair, never letting go of Sam's hand , and ten minutes later, she was nearly asleep herself.

The door opening made her jump. She sleepily turned to look, wondering if it was a nurse. She gasped when she saw Blaine standing there. He was staring at Sam. His hair was curly and his eyes were dark and brooding. She leapt from the chair and pointed her finger in his face.

"Get out. Get out right now. I don't want you in here. Neither does he."

He looked at her blankly.

"I don't really care what you want. Quit being selfish. "

He walked over and stood at the foot of the bed. She didn't really know what to do. She couldn't stop him from being here.

"What do you care Blaine? Tina saw you two together last night. You were fighting. And then there was your whole weird act in the choir room. When I found him lifeless against a tree, I vowed that you would pay for this. The only reason I'm not tearing your hair out right now is because he saved you. He claimed you didn't do this to him. I'm still trying to decide whether I believe it."

He shrugged, taking his eyes away from Sam and looked at her.

"Believe what you want. The reason you aren't tearing my hair out right now is because if you get close to me, you are afraid that all those feelings will come back."

She looked at him in puzzlement.

"What? Oh get over yourself. We went on one date. And yeah, we made out. I did like you Blaine. I can't deny that. You treated me like a princess during my week of hell. The date was amazing. Until I found out it was all Sam's idea and not yours. He found the cave."

She stepped back as he walked towards her, a menacing look on his face.

"Prove it."

Her confusion deepened.

"Huh? Prove what? "

He stepped closer towards her. She froze as he reached forward and traced a finger down her cheek.

"Prove Sam found the cave . Prove that you can touch me without wanting to rip my clothes off."

She hit his hand away and gritted her teeth in anger.

"Don't touch me. Don't you dare come into this hospital room and start hitting on me. I want nothing to do with you. Do you understand? Nothing."

He shrugged, his eyes flashed with a hint of something… something that looked like danger.

"You need to be careful about what you say Rachel. Look how Sam ended up after we got into a fight."

Her hands flew up to cover her mouth as she shook her head in horror.

"So… so you did do this. You hurt him. I knew it."

He smirked.

"You know what's sad about this situation? I would have left him alone. We went out and we had a huge fight. About you of course, what else? He seems really smitten. It's cute. He punched me first, I punched him back. He said sorry instantly. He felt really bad about hurting me. He said we were best friends and that we shouldn't be fighting."

Rachel glanced at Sam. He was still sleeping soundly.

"And if he had just left it at that, then everything would have been OK. We walked through the woods to have a chat. To calm ourselves down and reassess our friendship. And as we were walking along, he delivered the blow that ultimately landed him in here. He told me that he thinks he loves you."

She gasped and looked at Sam again.

"What? No. No he didn't. We barely know each other….we…."

Blaine scoffed and headed over for the door.

"That's what I told him. But he insisted it was true. He said he has always believed in love at first sight, and then you walked into his Math class that day and he knew it was true. He loves you."

Her heart swelled as she looked at Sam, then back at Blaine.

"Wait…. So because he thinks he loves me, you attacked him?"

There was nothing but venom in his eyes as he stared at her.

"He has no clue it was me. We parted on good terms and that's what he will continue to believe. He wanted to stay in the woods for a bit, he said he was gearing himself up to tell you his feelings and he wanted to think about what he was going to say. I left him to it. Five minutes after walking away, I found a huge rock, walked back to him and threw it at his head. He had his back to me. "

Ice cold fear dripped down Rachel's spine. She took her phone out of her pocket with shaking hands and started dialling for the police. In a flash, he had her pinned against the wall, his hand around her throat. He yanked the phone out of her hand and chucked it on the floor.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at him.

"You can call the police if you want, but they won't believe you. There is no evidence."

She tried to push him away, but he was too strong.

"I'll…. I'll make them b-believe. You won't get away with this."

She cursed inwardly as a tear fell down her cheek. She didn't want him to see her cry.

He chuckled softly as he ran a hand down the length of her body. She flinched as he touched her sore ribs.

"OK , how about I put it to you in a different way? If you call the police or tell anyone about this, then I will finish the job. Next time, Sam won't make it out alive."

She caught her breath as he let her go and started walking to the door again like nothing had happened. She held her throat where his hand had just been and stared at him, her eyes streaming with tears.

"Why? Why would you do this?"

Her voice came out as a whisper. He opened the door.

"Why? Because I have to watch as he sticks his tongue down your throat right in front of me. And I want you. He shouldn't get to have you. It's not fair."

She glared at him as she found her voice coming back.

"You sound like a kid throwing a tantrum. But usually, kids don't try and kill somebody to get what they want."

He shrugged.

"You don't get it. I want you Rachel. I want you so bad it hurts. But I also…. I…."

He stopped and looked at the floor. She frowned, trying to get her racing heart back to normal.

"What? You also what?"

He glanced at the bed where Sam was still sound, then looked at her. For the first time in days, she saw real emotion.

"I want him as well. I like you both. I want you both. And that is why I will do anything it takes to break you apart. And if I have to kill one of you, then so be it."

He walked out of the door and down the corridor out of sight, leaving Rachel wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.

**A/N - ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU TO ALL THE REVIEWS. YOU ARE ALL AWESOME AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SO MANY OF YOU ARE READING IT!**

THIS CHAPTER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UP LAST NIGHT , BUT DUE TO FANFICTION BEING FULL OF ERRORS IT HAS TAKEN AAAAAAAAGES TO GET UP.

QUICK NOTE TO A FEW PEOPLE

Thayn Dias- YOUR ENGLISH WAS PERFECT :-) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE KIND REVIEW . IT MADE MY DAY! IT IS SO COOL TO KNOW SOMEBODY FROM BRAZIL IS READING, AND THE FACT THAT YOU ARE READING MY OTHER FIC 'SOMETHING' AS WELL IS SO BRILLIANT . THANK YOU SO MUCH :-) I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. XXX

WaterLilyFlower - ALL I CAN SAY AFTER THIS CHAPTER IS PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! PLEASE! HAHA. I ALWAYS LOVE YOUR REVIEWS AND I AM SO SORRY IF I GOT YOUR HOPES UP OF BLAINE NOT DOING THIS TO SAM, I WANTED TO THROW PEOPLE OFF A BIT. THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUES SUPPORT XXXX  


**EVERYBODY I AM ABLE TO PM , I WILL DO. I LIKE TO THANK PEOPLE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ. EVERYONE WHO IS A GUEST, WHO I CAN'T PERSONALLY THANK, PLEASE KNOW THAT I APPRECIATE AND I THANK YOU ALL!**

ALTHOUGH I CAN'T IMAGINE MANY PEOPLE WILL STILL BE READING AFTER THIS CHAPTER. BUT CRAZY BLAINE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT SO YEAH, LET'S GO WITH THAT! XXX


	17. Chapter 17

**Only Hope – 17**

Rachel sat by Sam's bed in a state of shock after Blaine had walked out. She had known something wasn't right about Blaine's behaviour , but she never guessed for a moment it would be because he liked Sam as well. Did Sam know?  
She put her head in her hands and groaned.

"Rach. You're still here."

She looked up as Sam sleepily opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile. She smiled back and took his hand.

"Of course. How are you feeling?"

"Better. I think. But you know… I would feel much better if you went home. Every time I wake up and realise you are still here I freak out. It must be late now."

Rachel shook her head stubbornly.

"I'm not going anywhere."

They both jumped as the door opened. Rachel looked at her watch, then at Santana who had just walked in the door.

"Hey. It's nearing midnight. What are you doing back here and why did the hospital let you in?"

Rachel watched as an older version of Santana walked in. She guessed it was her Mom. They looked so alike it was unreal.

"So many questions dwarf. I know what time it is, you should be getting home. And they let us in because my Mom worked her charms on the dorky male receptionist. It was that easy."

Rachel was still none the wiser. She looked confused as the two of them stepped into the room completely and shut the door. Santana came to perch on the arm of Rachel's chair, while the woman walked over to Sam's other side and grabbed his hand. He looked as confused as Rachel now.

"My daughter told me everything that happened tonight. I'm so glad you are OK Sam."

Sam quickly glanced at Santana, then back at the woman.

"Uh… erm… thanks Mrs Lopez. But you didn't have to come all the way to the hospital at midnight to tell me that."

She laughed, and swished her long brunette hair over her shoulders. Rachel could see that the male receptionist would have fallen easily for her charms.

"I didn't come here for that. I came here to drive Rachel back home. She has been a good friend to my Santana over the last few weeks."

Sam looked elated while Rachel shook her head. Santana sighed.

"We are driving you home dwarf. No arguments. Mom, hurry up and tell the rest of the story, I needs my beauty sleep."

Santana's Mom rolled her eyes affectionately, then looked at Sam again.

"I've spoken to your real Mom and Dad tonight Sam. They aren't allowed to visit you. The courts have only just heard about your Mom's overdose , and have decided to revoke all access to you and your siblings for the time being."

Rachel looked away when she saw the look of pain on Sam's face. She felt tears in her eyes at the unfairness of it all. Sam's parents loved him and he loved them. They shouldn't be apart. She would stick by her promise and try everything she could to get the courts to see sense.

"And I heard about your so called foster parents. Santana told me everything. So…. To make a long story short, you are coming to live with us."

Rachel gasped, and put her arm around Santana's waist, hugging her friend gratefully. Sam looked amazed, then shook his head lightly.

"I can't do that Mrs Lopez, I don't…. I don't want to intrude. It's fine, I will sort something out."

Santana squeezed Rachel back and then stood up, walking over to join her Mom.

"Here's the deal Trouty , we have three spare bedrooms. Not just one, but three. Due to some family troubles recently, some people had to move out."

Rachel had noticed Santana had been happier the last few days. She hoped everything was OK for her now, but she didn't want to pry. She hoped she would tell her when she was ready.

"One of those bedrooms has an ensuite and it stinks of boyishness, and that will be yours. You can apply chap stick to those lips of yours forever in the bathroom mirror for all I care, but if you ever come in my room, I will ends you."

Rachel stifled a giggle while Sam shook his head again.

"That won't be a problem because I can't stay with you, it's not fair on you guys. I can't pay my way and I'm…. I'm not your problem."

Rachel sighed.

"Will you stop being so stubborn for once and let somebody help you?"

She realised too late that she had pretty much yelled. She wasn't exactly being considerate to others in the hospital, but right now, she didn't care.

Sam scowled at her while Rachel glared back. Why did he try and suffer everything alone? Santana's Mom looked amused at the little exchange, she tried to hide a smile before speaking again.

"You really have no choice in the matter sweetheart. Your Mom and I go way back, we went to high school together. And even if we didn't know each other all that well, I would never see one of my daughters friends out on the streets. You don't have to pay your way, all I need is for you to respect my house and maybe help with the odd chore now and again. I'm off to the courts tomorrow to sign some official paperwork to confirm you are living with us now instead of those awful foster parents, and then we will see what steps we can take in reuniting you with your parents. Like I said, you have no choice. It's a done deal. Once I've been to the courts tomorrow I will pop in and see if you can be discharged. But right now, I have to get these two girls back home. They have school tomorrow and it's late. Say your goodbyes Rachel."

Rachel was about to protest, but Santana and her Mom walked outside the room, hovering by the closed door. She sighed, and walked over to Sam.

"I'm not going home . I want to stay with you."

He rolled his eyes.

"And you call me stubborn?"

She couldn't hep grinning now, he was right.

"Go home Rach, get some sleep. Go to school as normal and I will see you tomorrow OK ? You won't be missing anything here, I'm just going to get some rest. It must have been some blow to the head, I'm so tired."

He yawned while Rachel shuddered, trying to force the picture of Blaine chucking a rock at Sam out of her head.

"I'll go home if you gladly accept Santana's Mom's offer."

He smiled and nodded, making her grin. It had been an awful day with finding Sam and the drama with Blaine, but now it seemed like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. She leant over and placed her lips on his. She desperately wanted to kiss him properly, but she settled for a quick peck.

"It's a done deal. Now go."

She kissed the top of his head and took one last look, before heading for the door. She knew she needed to talk to him about Blaine, but right now, he didn't need the added worry.

"Rach?"

She turned around, raising an eyebrow in question.

"You know I'm rubbish with this stuff but… I just had to tell you that you look beautiful today. I mean… you look beautiful all the time but… I don't know. Today you are my angel looking out for me. And I…. I erm….."

Her heart started racing wildly as she thought back to what Blaine said about Sam saying he loved her. Was he about to tell her now? Was she ready for it? It was too soon, surely. Her knees felt weak as she watched him struggle with the words.

"You what Sam?"

Her voice came out as a whisper. He looked up at the ceiling, then back at her.

"I love…. I….. oh for fuck sake…. I love that you were looking out for me. That's all."

She smiled, feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment when he didn't say the words.

"I'll always look out for you. Sweet dreams Sam."

She closed the door quietly behind her and walked out of the hospital with Santana and her Mom, fighting the urge to run back in with him and stay.

When she arrived home, Shelby was waiting up for her. Rachel explained what had happened, just leaving out the fact Sam was her boyfriend, and was grateful that Shelby wasn't angry. Instead, she made her some hot chocolate and gave her a hug which surprised Rachel no end.  
She didn't return the hug, she wasn't at that stage with Shelby yet and probably never would be, but she was relieved that she had taken todays drama OK. Her Dad's would have freaked out at her for staying out so late.

She didn't get any sleep that night. She was worried about Sam. With worrying about him and Blaine every so often popping into her head with threats and terror, she felt like a zombie in the morning. She showered and dressed on autopilot, the last thing she wanted was to go to school, but she supposed she had to.

She frowned as she heard a car horn outside her window. She looked out to see Santana sitting there. She walked out of the house and hopped in the car, smiling at her friend.

"Hey! This is a new thing, why are you here?"

Santana concentrated on the road and answered her.

"It's the least I can do. You are always driving me about places and I figured you might not want to drive today because of tiredness from worrying about trouty mouth. And I figured right. You look like crap Berry."

Despite the rudeness, Rachel couldn't help giggling. She loved Santana for what she was and hoped that she would never change for anyone. Yes, she could be insulting and vicious , but underneath it all, she had a heart. And that was all Rachel cared about.

"Thanks bestie. You always know how to cheer me up."

They spoke for the rest of the journey to school, with Santana giving Rachel a very clear warning that if her and Sam ever got 'kissy' in her house, then he would be thrown back out on to the streets. Even though Rachel laughed, she gulped as she realised that Santana really would throw him out.

When they arrived at school, they said their goodbyes and Rachel headed straight for her locker. She was glad it was Friday. She could spend the weekend with Sam and not have to worry about him.

She gasped as Blaine came up behind her and grabbed her ass. She pushed him and tried to walk away from him , but he pinned her against the lockers, a hand either side of her so she couldn't move. She really had no choice but to look in his eyes, there was no where else for her to look.

"Hey sexy. You broke up with Sam yet?"

She didn't say anything. She just glared , furious that he had the audacity to come over and speak to her after the threats he had made last night.

He chuckled at her reaction and traced a finger down her cheek, just like he did last night. She shuddered and tried to break free, but he had completely closed her in .

The other students walking by didn't think anything of it, they had all known that Blaine and her were a thing a while back, so they all just probably assumed it was back on again.

"Are you giving me they silent treatment? Because that would be a very silly thing to do."

A flash of danger crossed his eyes, making her heart rate speed up.

"I have nothing to say to you Blaine. You might think you are scary, but really, you are just an insecure little boy struggling to deal with your sexuality. You are making empty threats and I am not afraid of you, now back off."

To her astonishment, he really laughed now. He had found her speech hilarious. His right hand fell from the locker and gripped her arm, tightly. She tried not to wince as he dug his fingers in to her flesh, never taking his eyes away from hers.

"I'm not struggling with anything baby girl. All I know is that I want to rip your clothes off just as much as I want to do it with Sam. I know who I am. I know what I am. And I will end up having one of you. Of course, I have had a few dreams where I got both of you at the same time . It was fucking hot. But I know it's just a dream. Sam would never go for that."

She tried to shake his hand off her arm, but he just gripped tighter.

"I would never go for it either. Get away from me Blaine. I mean it."

He hadn't stopped smiling since the moment he had seen her. It was an intimidating smile. It wasn't natural. When she first met him, she just thought he was lovely and happy, but now she had realised that it had never been the case at all.

"Don't lie Rachel. You couldn't get enough of me on our date. Feelings don't switch off that easy you know. And while I have your attention, let me make it clear that I never make 'empty threats' . I thought that would have been obvious what with Sam lying in the hospital with half of his skull dented."

She shivered, and was just about to cry out for help when the bell rang. She closed her eyes and grimaced as he kissed her cheek, then loosened his grip on her arm. She thought he was going to let go altogether, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled her forwards and held her hand.

"I managed to pull some strings with a few people which means we get to sit next to each other in all our classes again. How amazing is that?"

Rachel shook her head and desperately tried to prise his fingers away from hers.

"No. No , get off me. Get it through your head that I want nothing to do with you."

He smiled and shrugged as they walked along to class.

"You have no choice baby girl. You play along with my rules or you could end up getting seriously hurt."

Rachel laughed and shook her head again.

"How many times? I'm not afraid of you. I don't care what you do to me."

Just as they reached their classroom, he turned to face her, still with the same dangerous look in his eyes.

"Let me rephrase my words more carefully then. Play along with my rules or I will pay Sam a little visit and finish the job."

Her heart sunk and her stomach twisted in knots as she failed to hide the look of horror on her face. He smiled wickedly as he knew he had given her no choice but to walk in the class and sit down next to him. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Only Hope – 18**

Rachel was on edge throughout the entire lesson. She thought it was worse that Blaine chose not to speak to her the whole time, he just stared, a lot. She knew people like Artie were puzzled by the sudden decision to sit next to Blaine, but she couldn't do anything about it. By the time break came, she gathered all her books up and ran out of the classroom without even stopping to put them in her bag. She just needed to be away from crazy Blaine. She couldn't wait to see Sam today. She had to let him know what was going on. In a selfish way, she didn't think she could handle any of this on her own anymore. She was worried about what all this would do to Sam, the fact that his best friend was the guy who had put him in hospital had to be a huge blow, but she had to tell him.

She cried out as she felt a hard shove in her back and face planted on the ground. She had her hands full with books and couldn't even stop herself from falling. Her arms took the brunt of the fall and it hurt like hell, she just thanked her lucky stars she had landed on grass.

She scrambled to her feet, leaving the books on the ground and held her nose. She could feel warm blood trickling down, but her face didn't even hurt, it was more her arms. Of course she had known who her attacker was before she had even stood up.

"Ouch. That looks painful Berry. You should go and get that seen to before you bleed out on the entire school field."

Rachel found it amazing how smug and calm Quinn looked. Did she never feel any guilt? She couldn't be bothered to fight with this bitch today, she was too worried about Sam. She was just about to walk away from her when she felt an arm around her shoulders.

"I saw that Quinn. And let me make one thing very clear, if you ever touch Rachel again, it won't end well for you."

Rachel didn't know what was worse. The fact she was standing opposite Quinn who had been the tormentor of all her pain, or the fact that Blaine had his arm around her and was trying to stick up for her. She shrugged him off, and he obliged , fishing a tissue out of his pocket, which she took gratefully. Her nose was still bleeding pretty bad.

"Get away from me, I don't your protection."

Rachel's voice sounded muffled under the tissue, she tried to glare at Blaine but she knew she looked pretty lame standing there covered in blood with her pride, as well as her body hurt.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Clearly you do." He turned his attentions away from her and looked at Quinn again.

"Are we clear?"

She laughed her tinkly angelic laugh. If Rachel didn't know she was completely crazy, then she probably would have assumed she was sweet.

"What are you going to do Blaine? Get the star trek club to make me watch the show or something? Actually, that would be torture. Please don't do that."

He was smiling , but Rachel knew that smile. It meant evil.

"You can mock me Quinn, but you should know better than anyone that if you don't do what I say, things can go downhill pretty quickly. Now get out of my sight."

Rachel thought Quinn was going to laugh again, but instead, she actually looked worried. She hurried off back to the school. When she was gone, Blaine grabbed Rachel's arm, digging his fingertips into her flesh.

"Come on, we need to get you cleaned up at first aid."

She didn't disagree, there was blood everywhere. She tried to shrug Blaine's arm off, but he was having none of it.

"What did you mean back there? That she would know better than anyone?"

Blaine smirked as he hurried her along.

"Remember I told you we dated and I ended things with her? Well, Quinn being Quinn wouldn't let me end it at first. She was desperate to stay with me actually, it was completely weak. So I asked her nicely to be mature about it, and when she wouldn't…. I poisoned her food and she landed up in the hospital for three days."

I gasped out loud, grimacing as some blood from my nose trickled into my mouth. I dabbed at my face with the now covered tissue.

"You are fucking crazy. Get away from me. And leave Quinn alone. I don't care if she hurts me every minute of every day, as long as you leave her alone. She is tame compared to you."

Her words just seemed to make him grin wider as they walked into the school.

"I love it when you call me crazy. It just makes me believe that you want me."

She frowned and shook her head.

"You are the most delusional person I have ever met. How could you possibly think I want you?"

They came to a stop outside the first aid room and Blaine leant down to whisper in her ear.

"Because you wanted me just last week. And I know that because of the way you mouth fucked me during our date."

She gasped again and pushed him away, not caring that she had accidentally wiped blood on his clothes.

"Like I said , crazy. You are crazy. You need help. And if Quinn knows it was you that poisoned her why didn't she report your ass?"

His eyes glinted with that flash of danger she had come to recognise now.

"Because beautiful girl, my ass is way too hot to be reported. And because I threatened to kill her beloved dog if she told anyone."

He knocked on the closed first aid door hard before walking away and leaving her there without saying another word.

Rachel felt sick as she watched him go. He really was evil. She had to find a way to stop him. She wanted to see Sam. She ached for him.

She got cleaned up and still didn't really feel any hurt on her face, it was just her arms that hurt like hell. She managed to get out of the entire next lesson on account of how much her nose was bleeding. She sat there and had a rest, pushing all thoughts of Blaine out of her head. Instead, she daydreamed about Sam. She missed his strong arms around her. She missed the way he kissed her with such passion it made her knees go weak. She missed the way his eyes twinkled at her when he was amused. She couldn't wait to see him again.

Lunchtime arrived and she headed out of the first aid bay with the intention of going straight to the toilets to hide from Quinn and Blaine, but before she had even shut the door behind her, Santana was at her side, linking her arm. She looked in confusion as Britt appeared on the other side and took that arm.

"Are you OK dwarf? Blaine told me to come and fetch you if you weren't back by lunch. He said you've been hurt."

Rachel was surprised at this news.

"He did? I'm…. I'm fine. Just a nose bleed. It's my arms that hurt more than anything, I fell right on them."

She smiled gratefully as both girls eased their grips on her arms.

"I told you if Quinn hurts you again, I will go all LIMA heights on her. She will not get away with this anymore."

Rachel smiled weakly , thinking of Blaine's threat to Quinn and the scared look on her face.

"I'm not just saying this to deter you, but I honestly don't think Quinn is going to be a problem anymore. Just… just trust me."

Santana glanced at her in confusion , then nodded her head.

"Fine. If you think that then great. But I will be watching her like a hawk from now on. All the cheerleaders are now your official bodyguards."

She looked from Santana , then shyly at Britt, and groaned.

"How embarrassing. I'm the school weakling."

Britt squeezed her arm gently.

"Look Rachel, I know we haven't spoken much, But I think you are awesome. You have come into this school, became best friends with Santana despite her ability to push everyone away, you rock in Glee club and you have guys fighting over you. Seriously, you are pretty cool. Nobody sees you as weak. We want to look out for you. The rest of the cheerleaders hate how Quinn thinks she owns us all, so they want to put her in her place. From now on, you will be eating lunch with us."

Santana nodded again, smiling at both of them as they walked into the cafeteria.

"Yes. I know you haven't been eating anything at school. Well, unless trouty mouth is feeding you half of his soggy pb+j sandwiches which is just gross… it doesn't count as food."

Rachel nudged her friend in the ribs as they joined the food line.

"Hey. Sam makes the best sandwiches. And don't mention him. I'm having withdrawal symptoms."

She pouted, making Brittany say 'awww' and Santana roll her eyes.

They all picked out the pasta and a drink, and went to sit down at the table. Santana watched Rachel as she ate, making her feel self-conscious.

"What?" She muttered through a mouthful of food. Her friend smiled at her and tucked into her own pasta.

"It's just nice seeing you eat that's all. I've had so much cheer practice lately that I haven't been able to go with you at lunch so it's great we get to do this now."

Britt was staring at Santana open-mouthed.

"Wow. You are being soppy. It's so weird seeing you be nice to people other than me."

Santana pretended she hadn't heard a word, and carried on staring at Rachel.

"My Mom just text. Sam's back at ours now. He's sleeping."

Rachel's heart leapt at this news. The thought that he was in a real house , in a comfy bed , with people who cared nearly made her want to cry with happiness. She tried to keep her emotions in check while she smiled at Santana.

"I didn't thank you properly last night. You and your Mom… what you are doing for Sam, it's amazing."

Santana shrugged while heaping a huge fork full of food into her mouth.

"It's nothing. When my Mom heard the story she wanted to get involved, she's just that sort of person. He wouldn't have ended up on the streets dwarf, nobody would have let that happen."

Rachel smiled again and finished her lunch. She took a long sip of her drink, then looked at Santana, unable to hide her excitement.

"So… usually I'm quite polite. My Dads brought me up with good manners. But in this case, I don't give a shit about manners. I will be over at your house after school, whether you invite me or not. Sorry."

Santana grinned while she also took a sip of her drink.

"It's fine. I was expecting it. I already have it all planned out. After lunch we have the same classes , then it's Glee club, then we can go back to mine. If it's OK with you, me and Britt will be in my room and you and Sam can be left alone. I don't want to go into it right now but…. Things have changed in my house lately. Before, Britt wasn't allowed round and now…. Well, now we had some people move out and everything is OK again. I want to make the most of being able to have Britt over."

Rachel smiled as the two girls exchanged soppy grins at each other. She was positive that Santana would tell her all about her and Britt's relationship when she was ready, and she was sure they were more than friends, but she was willing to wait and hear the story.

"Can we not just skip Glee club?"

Santana reached into her pocket for her phone, scrolled down a bit , then shoved it in Rachel's face. She squinted her eyes to read the text, her stomach jumping with butterflies as she saw Sam's name.

**Sam: Make sure Rach stays at school all day, including Glee club. Look out for her. Thanks.**

Rachel frowned and glared at Santana.

"Give me his number. I need to text him."

Her friend shook her head firmly.

"No. Uh uh. No way. He's sleeping. He sent this hours ago. You can have his number as soon as we start driving home after Glee club OK ? He will be worn out enough when you go round later without waking him up now as well."

Rachel groaned because she knew she was right. They spent the rest of lunch chatting about cheerleading routines, most of which went over Rachel's head, and then they went to class.

She always breathed a sigh of relief when time at school was uneventful. She had been through enough drama to rival any other high school kid , and she had only been here a few weeks.

They made their way to the choir room at the end of the day, and Rachel made sure she was sat in between Santana and Artie. At least this way, Blaine couldn't come near her. Apart from the odd intense stare from him as the lesson went on, nothing else happened until right near the end . Blaine stood up and walked over to the piano, never taking his eyes of Rachel.

"I thought it would be nice to round off the lesson with a love song, is that OK Mr Schue?"

The teacher nodded as Blaine sat at the piano.

"Rachel Berry, I will get you back. This is for you."

The whole room stared at her in shock as he launched into a version of The Police – Every Breath You Take.

Rachel shivered as he had that disturbing look in his eye as he sang. The more he sang, the more she felt uneasy.

She wasn't the only one who had noticed how weird the whole situation was , and despite Blaine having a phenomenal talent for performing, he only received a small smattering of confused applause once he had finished.

"What did you think of that beautiful?"

All eyes were on her as she looked at him in horror.

"You do realise that wasn't a love song right? It's a stalker song."

He grinned at her wickedly, clearly hoping that would be her reaction.

"I think the song is whatever you want it to be. And I wanted it to represent my feelings for you. And I want you to know that I meant all of it."

Rachel shivered again, hating the cold chills that were running down her spine.

"Well I think I speak for all of us when I say…. That was creepy as hell."

The room started giggling at Santana's words , while Mr Schue, fair and calm as always, held his hands up.

"Come on guys, Blaine is right. There has been a lot of different meanings for that song over the years and it really is whatever you want it to be. If he meant for it to be a dedication to Rachel, then fair enough."

He stopped talking as the bell rang and everyone stood up, noisily scraping their chairs back.

"Remember guys, I want each of you to make a suggestion for a solo song for the next competition and we will put the most popular three to a vote. I need all suggestions by Monday. Have a good weekend."

The class started filing out, and as Rachel reached the door, Blaine grabbed her arm again.

"Have fun this weekend gorgeous. And remember, Every Step You Take….." He trailed off, his face just inches from hers.

He chuckled at the horrified look on her face. She rushed out to catch up with Santana. She couldn't stress herself out with Blaine right now, she could only concentrate on one thing. Sam.

She sat in the back seat of Santana's car while Britt sat at the front. All three of the girls were quiet on the way back to Santana's house. There was only the general agreement on how disturbing Blaine's 'love' song to Rachel had been.

When they reached the house and walked in, Rachel gave both girls a hug goodbye after being pointed in the direction of Sam's room, and knocked on the door , her heart racing. She didn't even have the patience to wait for him to respond to the knock, she rushed in, shut the door behind her, and raced to the bed , throwing her bag down.

Her knock had obviously woken him up and he was attempting to sit up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. She grinned, feeling happier than she could ever express seeing him safe in a huge bedroom. When he realised she was there his whole face changed, his dimples showing as he beamed at her.

She kicked her shoes off, climbed into bed and pulled him into her arms, trying to remember to be gentle with him.

He squeezed her back and she breathed him in, feeling so good now that she was here with him. She buried her head in his shoulder as he held her. After a few minutes, she looked up at him, feeling suddenly shy now he was gazing at her with wonder.

"You didn't have to come. I'm fine. I feel much better."

She rolled her eyes affectionately at his words.

"Not everything is about you Sam. I feel awful."

He went from smiling to concerned in not even a second. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead.

"What's wrong Rach?"

She smiled as her arms reached round to caress the back of his neck.

"I need you to kiss me."

His eyes widened in shock at first, then a small smile appeared as he leant forward, and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Better now?"

She pouted and shook her head, making him chuckle. He kissed her cheek softly.

"How about now?"

She shook her head again. He kissed her other cheek. Before he could even say anything or tease her some more, she pulled him to her, placing her lips on his. She closed her eyes as she marvelled at the softness and warmth of his mouth. She knew it sounded ridiculous and corny, but being with him this way felt like being home. She didn't even know how she had managed to survive without kissing him these last few days. Kissing Sam was everything.

She gasped as he gave in and drew her in closer, softly grazing her bottom lip with his teeth. Her hands ran down his back, holding him close in case he disappeared. When his tongue found hers, she felt complete. After a few minutes, she broke away from him , breathless and dizzy.

"If you kiss me like that for at least the next four hours, I might just start to feel better."

The cute grin came back to his face as he ran his hands down her body, his fingers light as a feather when he reached her ribs, then continued down to her waist. He held her firmly and pressed their bodies together.

"I better get to work then."

She felt all her troubles melt away as he held her in his arms and kissed her again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Only Hope – 19**

Sam put in a damn good effort at making up for all the kissing hours they had missed. But it was only forty minutes later when Rachel looked at him in concern, worried about how tired he looked.

She kissed his cheek softly and forced him to lay down, much to his annoyance.

"You have to rest. I don't want to be responsible for tiring you out."

He pouted, making Rachel laugh.

"If it's a choice between resting and making out with you, then there is no contest. You win. . Don't be mean. I'm injured."

She laughed again.

"I'm not being mean. I'm being practical. Listen , Santana said I could hang out here for a while, I'm not going anywhere yet. Have a nap for just half an hour and then we can….." She kissed his lips gently, but pulled away before he could persuade her to carry on. "…. do stuff."

Her cheeks went pink as she spoke. She wasn't used to being so forward. Before she had joined the high school, she had never even had a boyfriend, but now , a few weeks later, she had made out with two of the hottest guys at the school. Even if Blaine was a crazy loon who was out to make her life hell, she couldn't deny that he was gorgeous. But Sam was more. He was so handsome she couldn't even describe what he did to her insides. And his personality , underneath all the 'hard' he had tried to convince her he was at first, was amazing.

He smiled at her sleepily.

"You're blushing. And I'm not a kid. You can't just bribe me with things."

She blushed further when he pointed it out, then grabbed his hand and lay down beside him.

"But if you don't have a rest, then you won't be able to kiss me at all . Kissing and touching will be banned."

He grinned cheekily as she tried to look deadly serious.

"You wouldn't do that to me."

She shrugged, trying to ignore how cute his dimples were.

"Try me."

He narrowed his eyes, looking slightly worried now he thought she was being serious. He sighed and wrapped an arm around her. She lay on his chest, listening to his heart beating.

"Fine. I'm going to rest, as long as you stay right here the whole time."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

She felt him smile, and after only a few minutes, his breathing was heavy. He had already fallen asleep. She hoped he would be better soon. She missed him at school and knew it would still be a few days before he would be back.

She felt peaceful in Sam's arms, and despite all her efforts to stay awake, she fell asleep. An hour later, she woke to Sam nudging her gently.

"Hey sleepy head. I thought you said I should nap? You falling asleep was totally against the rules."

She smiled up at him lazily and stretched.

"Sorry. It's just… it's just you are so comfy. I could lay like this forever. You make me feel so safe. I know you live here now, and I am so grateful to Santana's Mom but…. Please tell me you are going to sneak in to my room every now and then. I have the best sleep ever when you are with me. "

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't apologize for falling asleep Rach. I love that you feel that way around me. And are you crazy? As soon as I feel better, I will be risking my life to climb up to your window again."

He laughed again, but the mention of his life sent dread through Rachel. She sat up and climbed out of bed. She battled with herself over the right thing to do. Sam had to know didn't he? She didn't know if she should tell him. She didn't know what to do. Even though every part of her was screaming not to say a word, she knew it was now or never. She walked over to the window, gazing out so she didn't have to face him.

"Sam, I have to tell you something. And it's not going to be easy. Just know that I am sorry that my words are about to inflict a whole world of pain on you."

He sat up in bed now, and she could tell he had a serious look on his face even if she wasn't looking at him. She could hear it in his voice.

"OK … you're scaring me a bit. Just say it. I can handle it."

She shook her head and steadied her breathing.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

He sighed.

"It's Blaine isn't it?"

Rachel gasped, then felt relief. She didn't know how Sam knew, but at least she didn't have to deal with this alone anymore. She turned to look at him now and nodded.

He looked completely shocked , then tried to regain his composure.

"Wow. I land up in the hospital for a day or two and you run back into his arms. Were you not getting enough attention or something?"

His voice was hard and full of bitterness. Did she just hear that right or was her mind playing tricks on her?

"What? Are you insane?! I am terrified of him. How could you think I would do that to you?"

She felt tears sting the back of her eyes, threatening to spill over. The fact she had to tell him that Blaine was evil was made even worse by the fact that Sam clearly didn't trust her. His face was full of guilt. He climbed out of bed and walked over to her. She could tell the effort was causing him pain. He looked into her eyes and rested a hand on her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume… I just…. I'm sorry."

Rachel shrugged, and moved his hand away from her. She didn't know what to think now.

"There is no easy way to say any of this, so I'm just going to spill. I wasn't planning on just coming out with it all at once, and I'm sorry if what I'm about to say sounds brutal, but you have thrown me off with your comment about me running back to Blaine and I can't think straight so…."

She shook her head, and even though she was mad at him right now, she took his hand and led him over to a chair. He had to be sitting down for this, otherwise he would fall down.

"Blaine has been acting crazy lately. I know he acted like he was OK with you and me, but he wasn't. The night after you were supposed to come round, he implied that he had hurt you, so I ran out of school in a panic. Tina said she saw you two fighting near her house, and she heard my name yelled. I was freaking out. You bailed on me that night, you weren't at school the next day, and Blaine was being a general douche making out that he had hurt you or... or worse. Anyway, Santana and I found you which you know, and when you were at the hospital sleeping, you had a visitor. Blaine."

Sam's eyes widened at this. He looked confused. She took a deep breath and carried on.

"You didn't fall and bang your head Sam. It was Blaine. He threw a rock at you."

He looked at her in disbelief and shook his head.

"What? No. No Rach, I know you are only trying to look out for me and I'm sorry he has been acting like a douche to you, I will have a word with him, but he didn't do this to me. I don't know why you would think that."

She sighed and groaned in frustration.

"Because he told me. He did it Sam. He hurt you. All because he wants you."

Now he looked even more stunned. His mouth fell open as he stared at her in shock once more.

"Excuse me?"

"He wants you. And he wants me. Those were his exact words. He doesn't want us to be together because he thinks he deserves one of us. And he said that if we stay together, then next time, it won't be a rock to the head. He will kill one of us. Today at school, if I didn't sit next to him in class, he threatened to come and finish you off. He's been making these insane threats Sam, and I don't know what to do. He's clearly capable of doing some damage, I mean… look at the state you are in right now."

Sam sat there in stunned silence for a few minutes. Rachel didn't say anything. She wanted to give him time to make sense of what she had just told him, it was a lot to take in all at once.

"But…. But…. I fell. Blaine didn't hurt me."

Rachel squeezed his hand gently, hating what this news must be doing to him.

"You can't remember what happened because of the blow. Blaine said you parted on good terms, and that you wanted to stay in the woods to …." She instantly regretted revealing how much she knew. Her heart jumped a little as she remembered Blaine telling her that Sam loved her. "… to uh, think about things, and five minutes later, he found a massive rock and threw it at your head when you had your back turned. The doctors just assumed you fell backwards onto a rock or something."

Sam shook his head again.

"If you know all this, then why haven't you called the police ? If this is true, if the person I thought was my best friend is out to cause us harm, then we have to tell somebody before it goes too far."

Rachel sighed, and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him in a hug.

She pulled away to look at him, his eyes were full of fear. She hated that she was the one who had made him feel like this.

"I tried that at the hospital. I had my phone out ready to do it, but he pinned me up against a wall, grabbed my throat and threatened me some more."

Sam's jaw clenched with anger.

"He hurt you? While I was in the same room?"

Rachel shook her head, trying to play it down, the last thing he needed was to be worried about something like that.

"You were out for the count Sam. Severe concussion tends to do that to a person. It's fine. I'm fine. I'm just scared."

She felt his arms wrap around her waist. He kissed her shoulder gently and sighed.

"Don't be scared baby girl. We will get through this."

Rachel felt sick at what she was about to do. She hadn't planned on this. She hadn't planned on any of it.

"That's just it though. We won't make it through this. We can't."

Sam frowned as she reluctantly pulled his arms away from her and stood up.

"What do you mean? Sure we can. Just wait until I'm better and we can….."

He stopped speaking as she shook her head . She desperately tried to stop the tears that were now falling, but it was no use.

"It's my birthday in two weeks, and the school year is nearly over. I told Shelby that I would only stay at that school until my eighteenth birthday, and then I would be going back to my Dads. Because legally, she can't make me stay at school when i'm eighteen. I'm going home now, and I'm going to ask Shelby to let me drop out immediately. And that if she agrees, I will stay with her after my birthday. I know she will go for it because she wants to make things right with me."

Sam looked shocked at first, but then he smiled and nodded his head.

"Yes. That's a good idea actually. At least then I don't have to worry about you taking some more crazy from Blaine if I'm not there. The thought of him hurting you again just makes me…." He trailed off, then cursed under his breath. She watched as his fists clenched in anger.

"No. Sam, you don't understand. I'm dropping out of school not just because of Blaine, but because I can't do this anymore. Any of it."

He stood up, and tried to close the gap between them, but she walked over to the door, away from him and his wounded gaze.

"You're right Rach, I don't understand. You need to explain. And if you are about to say what I think you're going to say …. Then you can't do that to me, to us...he wins if you do this."

More tears spilled over as she looked at his eyes that were now full of sadness. She hated upsetting him when he had just been through so much, but she had no choice. It wasn't her intention to come round and break up with him. She never meant for that. She just wanted to tell him what had been happening. But now, things had changed.

"It's over between us. I'm sure you understand that."

The pain on his face was worse than what she had been expecting. She looked away and started opening the door, unable to take the sadness anymore.

She gasped as he ran up behind her and closed the door shut, leaning against it so she couldn't open it. She looked at the floor, trying hard to control her panicked breathing. The evening had started out so good, and now it was a mess.

"We can't let him bully us Rachel. You are making it easy for him. What the fuck is this going to achieve? If we split up, he still doesn't get what he wants because neither of us want him. I want you. I need you. And I thought…. I thought you felt the same." The hurt in his voice sent daggers straight to her heart. This was the Sam she had always known he was , even back when he was acting like a complete douche towards her. She knew he was fragile, she knew he had a heart. That's what made this even worse. He cupped her face, his eyes pleading with her. "Don't go. I know you are going to think I'm crazy, I know you are going to say it's too soon…. but…. You can't go. I'm… I'm in love with you Rach."

Hearing him say the words felt better than she could have ever imagined. But it also felt terrible. Because even though he was looking at her in a way that would melt even the strongest of hearts, she still had no choice but to leave him. And to make everything ten times worse, she felt the same. It hurt even more than what it already did, because she realised she was in love with him too. He wiped a tear away from her cheek with his thumb, and she kissed his hand softly.

"I… I don't think it's crazy. It's not too soon. In fact, hearing you say that just made me realise that from the moment I met you, I wanted you to say it to me. But Sam, if you take all the crazy shit with Blaine away, there is still one huge reason why we can't be together."

His hands dropped from her face as he looked more confused than ever.

"What are you on about?"

She sighed and closed her eyes for a few seconds, knowing that she would have to say this and walk away. For both of their sakes. She couldn't bear the pain anymore. When she opened her eyes again, she felt like this was all a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

"Trust. You don't trust me. When I told you I had to tell you something, you automatically assumed I had ditched you for Blaine, even though I have spent every waking second worrying about you and dreaming of you holding me again. And the fact that you would believe I am capable of that, the feeling that you believe I could give up on you so easy is what hurts more than anything. I can take Blaine's threats and multiple beatings from your ex girlfriend way more than what I can take you not trusting me."

He stared at her, his face a mix of horror and guilt. Her heart ached as she realised he looked tired again. This was all her fault. She had just put him through hell. She rested a hand on his back and guided him over to his bed. He still hadn't said anything. There wasn't anything to say. He sat down and she kissed him gently on the top of his head, breathing in his smell once more.

"I'm in love with you too Sam. I think I have been since the moment I sat next to you in Math class. Which is why Blaine can do his worst. Because having to break up with you has already killed me."

She ran out of his room before he could see just how much her heart was breaking. She clutched her chest as she heard a door open behind her and Santana call her name. She didn't stop. She just ran. When she got outside and realised she didn't have her car with her, she cursed loudly among the sobs.

She knew she had no right to cry. She knew she had done this to herself. A night that should have been perfect had ended in heartache. And she couldn't even pin this one on Blaine.

She never thought that falling in love with someone would feel this bad. If this was love, the world could keep it.


	20. Chapter 20

**Only Hope – 20**

Rachel ran all the way home and desperately tried to calm herself down. She didn't want to have to deal with any questions from Shelby about why she was upset. She brushed her tears away, smoothed out her clothes, took a deep breath and walked into the house.

Shelby pounced on her as soon as she walked in.

"Ah Rachel, I was just about to call you, you have a visitor."

She jumped as she saw Blaine sitting on the sofa. He was giving Rachel a charming smile and Shelby was looking at him in awe. She had fallen for his charms since the night he had come over to take Rachel out for the date, and she hadn't stopped asking about him since. It was another reason Rachel didn't want Shelby to know about Sam.

"Good evening beautiful. I hope you don't mind me dropping by like this."

Rachel tried to keep her cool. The last thing she wanted was a scene in front of Shelby.

"Of course I don't mind Blaine, but you have to go. Now. I'm tired and I have some homework so…. Really. Just go."

Shelby tutted and walked over to Blaine, pulling him up from the sofa.

"Rachel, don't be so rude. He's a guest , and he has come to see you. You can't just chuck him out. He's just told me all about the date you two went on. It sounds so romantic."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Blaine who was standing there like butter wouldn't melt.

"I just came round to see you Rachel. I'm not going to take you out anywhere wildly romantic or anything. If Shelby agrees, maybe I could go upstairs and help you with your homework?"

He looked at Shelby, who nodded with enthusiasm. Rachel on the hand, shook her head, glaring at him.

"No. I don't need your help, and I actually have to talk to Shelby about something important, so get the hint and go."

Shelby gasped at Rachel's rudeness while Blaine stood there playing the part of a wounded puppy.

"Rachel, quit the rudeness young lady. You never need to talk to me about anything so I'm sure it can wait. It's fine for Blaine to help you with your homework, I have to go out anyway. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, catch you later kids."

Shelby grabbed her keys and bag , leaving the house in lightning speed. Rachel's heart was thudding at the thought of Blaine standing here in her house. This was the last thing she needed after breaking up with Sam. She felt tears again at the thought of Sam. This was torture.

"Your Mom is awesome."

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"She's not my Mom. Now get out."

She walked past him and started heading upstairs to her room, sighing as she realised he was following her up. She debated whether to lock her bedroom door before he could come in her room, but then she didn't want him wandering around her house either so she left the door open.

She watched as he walked in like he owned the place and shut the door behind him. She sat on her bed, trying to ignore him.

"Aren't you going to ask what I'm doing here?"

Rachel said nothing. She didn't care. She didn't care if he threatened her again tonight. She didn't feel scared. She just wanted to forget she had ever met any of them. Although she knew that no matter where she was, or how many years went by, she would never forget what had happened the last few weeks. She would never forget Sam.

"Oh. The silent treatment. OK , I'll answer for you. I am here to win you back."

Despite her efforts to ignore him, Rachel laughed out loud at this, and looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Never going to happen."

He shrugged, his huge eyes never leaving hers.

"That song I sang for you in Glee club, you really should have taken me seriously. I followed you tonight. Sam still looks in pretty bad shape."

Rachel tried not to react. The thought that Blaine had followed her sent chills down her spine. But then she realised he was screwing with her. Sam's bedroom was upstairs. There was no way he would have caught a glimpse of Sam.

"Nice try crazy. You nearly had me worried there."

Blaine chuckled , and walked over to the bed, sitting beside her. She automatically stood up and walked over to the window, not wanting to be near him.

"When you get a chance, please tell Santana from me that her treehouse is amazing. I could see everything. Oh, and side note… maybe tell Sam to close his curtains. It really is a good view right into that room."

Her mouth fell open as she stared at him in horror.

"Watching you and Sam all over each other is so hard. In more ways than one. I wanted it to stop, but at the same time, it was hot. Actually, I'm still turned on now. Maybe you could help me out with that?"

She watched as he scrambled up her bed against the headboard, took his bow tie off and started undoing the top two shirt buttons.

"You are disgusting. Get out of my house."

He grinned wickedly.

"I'm good here actually. I'm waiting for you to kiss me the way you were kissing Sam."

She sighed, and he looked surprised as she actually started walking over to the bed. She sat down beside him and grabbed his hand, holding it softly in hers, then looked into his golden eyes.

"Listen, I am begging you to leave me alone, just for tonight. If you want to talk tomorrow or the day after, then we can." She tried to look convincing, she wanted him to believe her. "But just for tonight, I need to be alone. Sam and I just broke up."

He looked surprised at this information.

"What? You looked all sleepy and loved up when I left to come here and charm the pants off Shelby. You're telling me you two just broke up and that I should believe it?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes off him. She even threw in a sad little smile. Maybe it would work with him. Maybe being nice and acting like she cared would make him back off.

"Yes. Look at my cheeks if you don't believe me. They are still tear stained. Text Sam and ask him. I … I didn't tell him about you or your threats." She didn't know why she felt the need to say this, she just hated the thought of Blaine knowing how much Sam knew. "We are over. And we split because of you. So if you just give me a chance to get my head around all of that tonight, then maybe we can talk soon and see where we go from here?"

Of course she had no intention of talking to him ever again. She just wanted him out. The fact that she was holding his hand right now was making her feel ill. The only hand she wanted to hold was Sam's, but after what had happened tonight, with him automatically assuming she had run back to Blaine, she couldn't see a way back for them.

Blaine squeezed her hand and stood up from the bed. She tried not to flinch as he pulled her into a hug. If he noticed her trembling, if he noticed how much she hated this, then he would realise she had no intention of speaking to him another day. She bravely returned the hug, though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She couldn't help feeling sad that everything had ended up like this. Blaine had started out as her prince charming, and now he was the evil villain.

"You made the right choice breaking up with Sam. We both know that you and him…. You just didn't fit. Not like we do. And I promise you that now we can be together, I will try not to want Sam so much. It will be hard, but I will learn not to eye fuck him every time he's near me. With you on my arm, I will learn to be content. And maybe one day down the line, we could convince Sam to have a little fun with the both of us."

He smiled kindly at her and she tried not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. The fact that he was being serious was too much to handle. He truly believed that now her and Sam were over, she was going to be with him. And the fact that he was dreaming up threesome situations in his head made it all the more funnier. He actually thought it was a realistic option. She just nodded, unable to say anything.

He kissed her on the cheek, and she held her breath, hating every second.

"See you tomorrow then gorgeous."

She nodded and watched as he walked out of her room. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard him walk down the stairs. She was just about to collapse onto her bed and sob about Sam when she heard a car door slam. She raced over to her window, gasping as she saw Sam leaning against Santana's car, trying to stand up straight. The fact that he had driven here when he should have been resting already had her filled with anxiety. Seeing him outside her house just made her heart swell and break at the same time. She wanted so much to run into his arms. But she couldn't.

She gasped as she heard her bedroom door slam shut and turned to see Blaine, anger written all over his face.

"Nice one Rachel. You are a first class actress. I totally believed that you and Sam had broken up."

She rushed over to him, hating the danger in his eyes right now. She needed to calm him down before Sam walked in the house.

"It's true. We did break up."

He scoffed.

"Then what the fuck is he doing here?"

She didn't have an answer for that. She didn't know what to say. She shrugged her shoulders, gazing at him wordlessly.

It was only when he shifted slightly that she saw the glint of metal in his hand. Ice cold fear dripped through her veins as she realised it was a knife. He grinned manically as he realised she knew, and he pointed it at her.

"I was then about to walk out of your house when I heard a door slam. A quick peek out of the window told me it was our favourite man so I took the liberty of helping myself to a kitchen knife. "

She nodded, trying to swallow. Her mouth felt dry.

"I can see that. Maybe you can take the liberty of putting it back where you found it?"

They both jumped as the doorbell rang. Blaine grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, making her gasp as he held the knife to her throat.

"Here's what we are going to do baby girl, you are going to go down and answer the door. Then, you are going to tell him that you have come to your senses and that you decided to give things another go with me."

Despite the fact she had a knife to her throat, she shook her head.

"No."

He laughed, and moved the knife further forward. She gulped as she felt the cold metal against her skin.

"I thought you said you had broken up. So it won't matter what you tell him, will it?"

The doorbell rang again.

"RACH, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE. I JUST WANT TO TALK. OPEN UP."

She wanted to cry as she heard Sam's voice call for her. She realised now what an idiot she had been earlier. She couldn't lose Sam. She looked into Blaine's eyes, pleading with him.

"We did break up. But I can't tell him you and I are a thing again. Please Blaine, it will kill him."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was a cold and calculated smile.

"But if you don't tell him, then I will kill him. So what's it going to be?"

Her breathing was fast and heavy as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She tried once more to reason with him.

"Please, don't do this. Nobody has to get hurt. Sam and I are over, you will see that for yourself if you just put the knife down and come down with me. But I can't tell him that me and you are back on, I just can't."

For a moment, she thought it had worked. He took the knife away from her neck and shrugged his shoulders.

"Then I guess he dies."

It was only when he started heading for the stairs that she realised the seriousness of the situation. She ran after him and grabbed his arm, unable to stop a tear falling down her cheek.

"I'll do it. I'll tell him. Just… just please don't hurt him."

He grinned before tucking the knife into his pocket. Then he grabbed her arm and dragged her downstairs.

She tried to compose herself before she answered the door, but realised it was no use. She took a deep breath and opened the door, fighting the urge to fall into Sam's arms.

"Rach, we need to talk . I … I can't let you walk away from me. I love you. I'm in love with you. And I'm sorry I automatically thought the worst. I am. It's just… the people in my life have always walked out on me or cheated or something. But I should have known that you are not like that. And I am begging you to give me another chance. "

Every word he said felt like a dagger to the heart. The fact that she would have to tell him she was with Blaine after he had just said all that was tearing her apart inside.

She shook her head, unable to look him in the eyes anymore. It was too painful.

"You don't have to say sorry Sam. It's OK."

Her voice was weak. She wiped another tear away. When she noticed how much her hands were shaking , she put them in her pockets, not knowing what to do.

"Look at you. You are so upset. I made you feel like this. I am such a douche. Can I come in so we can talk? I just want to tell you how sorry I am a few hundred more times and then, even if you don't forgive me, I'm going to have to fall asleep in your nice comfy bed because I can't seem to stay awake for longer than an hour."

He laughed gently, looking at her anxiously.

She shivered as Blaine walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist in a hug.

"Invite him in baby girl, we don't want to be responsible for our friend collapsing on the doorstep do we?"

Sam's mouth fell open in shock as Blaine started nibbling her ear. She couldn't help but flinch away from him. Blaine noticed and pulled her closer to him. As he did, she felt the knife against her back. Her heart sunk as she opened the door wide for Sam, the pain and hurt on his face making her feel sick.

He stepped into the house, never taking his eyes of them. Blaine held Rachel as tight as ever, His hands possessively gripping her to him.

Sam ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"So… so I was right? You two are a thing?"

Blaine nodded and poked Rachel hard so that she would say something. She looked down at the floor, knowing she had to do it to keep Sam safe.

"Yeah. I'm sorry Sam." Her voice cracked as she tried to speak clearly. Blaine growled into her ear, pressing the knife in harder, making her gasp.

"I … I tried to fight it but… I realised it was Blaine all along. You… you were just an experiment. I knew I was falling for Blaine and it scared me, so I messed around with you to try and stop feeling so much for Blaine. But it didn't work. Being with you just made me realise you are everything Blaine is not. I've made my choice now. I'm sorry I used you but I hope we can be friends."

Sam's face turned to stone as he stared at them both. Rachel watched as his fists balled up by his sides.

"Friends? You want to be friends? I fucking love you Rachel. I told you I loved you and you are now standing there in the arms of my best friend. How could you do this to me?"

The pain on his face took her breath away. Blaine loosened his grip slightly , but not enough. For a second, Rachel considered pushing Blaine away and running into Sam's arms to comfort him, but then she remembered the knife.

"Sam, it's not her fault you fell in love with her. If you can't be happy for us then I guess there is nothing more to say. Now you need to go. Me and my sexy lady have nearly a whole week of making out to do."

She shuddered as Blaine ran a hand down her side, in clear view of Sam. She watched sadly as Sam shook his head, and she didn't know if she had imagined it, but she thought his eyes were shining with tears. He looked into her eyes one last time before walking out of the front door, slamming it behind him.

She stood there for a moment in complete shock, before realising Blaine was still holding on to her. Her breathing returned to normal as she heard Sam start Santana's car up and drive away. Then she shook Blaine away. She was only bothered that Sam was safe. Now he was gone, she didn't have to worry about angering Blaine.

"If you touch me again, I'm going to take the knife from your pocket and stab you."

He looked amused as he tried to pull her into his arms again. She ducked out of the way.

"Oh come on baby girl, don't be like that. You know you want me as much as I want you. Stop fighting it."

She was just about to snap when the doorbell ringing made them both jump. She opened it up, praying Sam hadn't returned. She frowned when she realised there was nobody there. She shut the door, feeling uneasy. When the bell rang again, she glanced at Blaine before opening it up, getting freaked out when yet again , the doorstep was empty.

She closed it again, wondering what the hell was going on. It was bad enough she had a crazy person in her house threatening to kill people, she didn't need weird stuff going on outside as well.

When the bell rang for the third time, Blaine cursed, pushed her out of the way and opened it up. Rachel froze as Blaine started screaming out as something was sprayed into his eyes. He fell to the ground , clutching his face.

She gasped as Sam appeared at the doorway.

"Quick, get here now."

She didn't need telling twice. She squeezed past Blaine, crying out as he tried to grab her leg. Sam kicked him off and grabbed Rachel's arm, hurrying her around to the back of the house where Santana's car was parked. He opened the passenger door for her, and she climbed in, her heart beating so fast she thought it might explode.

Sam got in and started driving away from the house fast. He didn't say a word, and Rachel was too stunned to speak. They arrived back at Santana's just ten minutes later, and Sam pulled her out of the car, ushered her into the house and back into his room as quickly as possible. He closed the curtains on all the windows, shut the bedroom door, and pulled a trembling Rachel into his arms, kissing the top of her head.

She clung on to him, her tears soaking his t-shirt as she buried her face in his chest.  
After five minutes of crying, Rachel thought she might collapse. She walked over to the bed and laid down, curling up under the covers. Sam stood there watching her for a minute, he looked as shocked as she felt, then he came over as well, climbing into the bed with her, their bodies facing each other.

"We really need to thank Santana for having a car full of pepper spray."

It was the first words he had spoken since they had left her house. She looked at him wide eyed, still shaking from all that had happened.

"Sam… How…. How did you know that…. That Blaine was a threat? I just broke your heart back there and you came back for me. How did you know?"

He smiled softly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I knew for a lot of reasons. I knew something was up straight away when you took so long to answer the door. And not just because of what had happened with us before, I sensed it was something else. Then, when you opened up and I saw the look of terror on your face, I was certain something wasn't right. I have never seen anybody look so afraid, and I knew… or at least I hoped…. That you didn't look like that because I was at the door."

He paused and she shook her head, reaching over to kiss his nose gently.

"I could never be afraid of you."

He rewarded her with a dazzling smile, before carrying on.

"When Blaine walked up behind you, I saw a knife in his pocket. He wasn't even discreet about it. It took all my willpower to keep under control when he grabbed you. I had to keep my cool. I had to act like I didn't know what was happening, otherwise he might have hurt you."

Rachel shook her head again, and traced a finger lightly down his cheek.

"He wouldn't have hurt me. It was you he was out to hurt. And I couldn't let that happen. He said if I didn't tell you all that stuff about me getting back with him, he would stab you. I've never been so scared."

She closed her eyes, wondering if today had all been some weird nightmare.

When she opened them again, Sam looked angry.

"Don't you ever put yourself in danger again because of me. You could have been killed Rach."

She shrugged as he cupped her face.

"You're worth it. I love you."

Despite his anger, he smiled at her words.

"I know. And I love you. I could kind of tell that you loved me. You looked disgusted when you were saying you wanted to be with Blaine again. If he hadn't have been holding a knife to your back, it would have been quite comical."

She rolled her eyes.

"Hilarious. Anyway, finish the rest of the story."

"You know the rest. You broke my heart , I drove away so Blaine would think I had gone, except I drove to the back of the house. I rang the doorbell a few times knowing for a fact Blaine would get annoyed and see who was out there, then I pepper sprayed him."

Rachel closed her eyes again as Sam placed a feather light kiss on her lips. She felt drained and he looked tired. . She frowned as she touched his head.

"You need to rest Sam. All that has wiped you out."

He nodded.

"You need to rest as well. Santana's Mom is phoning Shelby to say you are sleeping over here, which is technically true, and she has arranged for her three huge cousins to be bodyguards for the house all night. I quickly phoned Santana filling her in on everything when I drove to the back of your house. Blaine won't bother us tonight, I promise you. And in the morning, we are going straight to the police."

She nodded and yawned, before scooting over so she could snuggle up to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she instantly felt protected.

"I'm scared Sam. I'm scared of the lengths he will go to."

Sam sighed, rubbing patterns into her back soothingly.

"Please don't be scared. He's not going to try anything once the police are involved. Everything is going to be OK."

She nodded, and when he kissed her on the head, hugging her tighter, she felt safe again. It didn't take long before she was where she should be, asleep in his arms.

**A/N - HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALL REVIEWERS, ESPECIALLY DOSQUEEN WHO JUST REVIEWED EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER! WHAT A STAR! YOU ARE ALL BRILLIANT, THANK YOU XXX**


	21. Chapter 21

**Only Hope – 21**

Rachel stretched sleepily as she woke up the next morning, smiling when she realised she was laying in Sam's arms. Her heart momentarily filled with dread when she remembered the events that led her to be here, but that would all be sorted soon. Right now, she wanted to lay here with Sam and pretend like they were any other young couple.

"Morning beautiful."

She smiled again , her stomach doing flips as he spoke. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight.

"Morning gorgeous."

She felt him grin. Her hands automatically started tracing his bare chest . He sighed contentedly , letting her do it for a few minutes, before clasping his own hand over hers.

"It's hard enough spending the night in bed with you and just sleeping. I'm going to go crazy if you keep touching me like that."

She managed to wriggle her hand free and let her fingers lightly graze along his stomach, stopping when she reached the waistband of his boxer shorts.

She looked up at him, grinning cheekily.

"Hard in which way?"

He looked shocked for a second, before burying his head under the duvet. He let out a groan.

"You tease. You can't say stuff like that."

She pouted as she lifted the duvet away from him.

"Fine. I can't touch you, or say things. We might as well just talk about the weather. It looks warm outside."

He laughed, but didn't say anything. She felt brave as her hand felt the material of his boxer shorts, she was just about to snake her hand lower when he brushed her away and straddled her, pulling the duvet over both of them. His eyes were full of heat as he stared down at her, a sexy smile on his face.

"I said you can't touch me. And you can't say rude things. I'm a teenage guy Rachel, and you are enough to drive anyone insane. But I didn't say anything about me not touching you."

She gasped as he dipped his head, his lips crushing into hers , hard. She closed her eyes, melting into the kiss. He knew just what to do when it came to this. As his tongue pushed forward to find hers, she reached her arms up around his neck, trying to pull him down even closer to her. Frustratingly, he was having none of it. He stayed where he was as he continued his delicious assault of her mouth.

She felt restless as he refused to be drawn closer to her. She ran her hands down his back, revelling in the feel of his skin. When she tried to pull him to her again, he stopped kissing her, his breathing hard and heavy.

He took her hands in his , his eyes never leaving hers, and gently pinned her arms down, before passionately kissing her again. She moaned as his teeth grazed her bottom lip, and when he started kissing her neck, it was too much.

"Now who's the tease?" She whispered breathlessly,

He stopped kissing her for just a second , a wicked grin on his face. Then he shrugged and dived for her neck again, driving her wild as he licked and sucked every bit of skin he could get his mouth to.

She managed to pull her arms free, and he didn't put up a fight this time as her hands roamed his back and drew him closer to her.

Her breath caught as she felt his body against hers. When one of his hands slowly started travelling up her side, she moaned softly again, her lips finding his once more.

She felt the stirring in his pants and arched herself towards him so she could feel him more. He let out a growl as she guided his hand towards her breasts, aching for him in a way she never knew possible.

They both froze as they heard the door open.

"You guys better not be doing what I think you are doing under there. I'm just going to pretend that this is not happening."

Rachel didn't know whether to laugh or be angry at Santana's interruption. Sam smiled, kissed her on the cheek , and rolled off her, much to her frustration and disappointment.

She tried to compose her self before coming up for air. She looked at Santana gingerly as she kept the cover over Sam's head, knowing he wouldn't be ready to face anyone just yet. She tried to smile, knowing that she had guilt written all over her face.

"Santana! Hey…. Uh… thanks for letting me crash here last night. Sam's still sleeping."

Santana raised an eyebrow in disbelief and folded her arms across her chest as she hovered at the doorway.

"Right. Of course. Does Sam often sleep on top of you?"

Rachel pursed her lips together, trying not to giggle. Luckily, she was saved as Sam pushed the duvet away from him and sat up, clasping Rachel's hand under the covers.

"Hey Santana. I'm not even going to pretend that you didn't just interrupt the best time of my life so I'm just going to be blunt… what do you want?"

Rachel squeezed Sam's hand, unable to help the smile on her face at his words. She couldn't help thinking that maybe it was for the best , Santana interrupting them. Because if she hadn't have walked in, she knew that they probably would have went all the way.

"My Mom's going to drop you off at the police station soon, so maybe you need to get yourselves a cold shower or something."

Rachel looked at Sam, he was looking at her in exactly the same way, a small smile on both of their lips.

They broke out of the trance when Santana made a gagging noise.

"Gross. I didn't mean together. Rachel, you go first and I will give you some clothes for now. There's a spare toothbrush somewhere as well."

Rachel looked at Sam again, sad that their time together was already coming to an end. She didn't know when they would get to be together like that again and it made her feel anxious. He seemed to feel the same way. He kissed her nose gently and let go of her hand.

"Go on. The sooner we get to the station, the sooner we will be safe from Blaine."

Rachel sighed , nodded in agreement and very reluctantly got out of bed, following Santana to the bathroom.

The next hour was a blur of showers, breakfasts , and going over what had happened to Santana and her Mom. They were both horror struck when they heard the full details, and Rachel felt nervous as they drove along to the station.

They were both made to give separate statements, which just made her feel even more anxious, then they were told to wait in a cold white room until somebody could get back to them.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, a bulky middle aged officer with a stiff moustache came in the room, sitting down opposite them. He looked annoyed.

"I have other stuff to do today so I'm just going to tell it like it is. There is nothing we can do."

Rachel wasn't quite sure she had heard the man right. Sam cursed under his breath and Rachel grabbed his hand, squeezing it in reassurance, hoping he wouldn't get worked up.

"Excuse me?" Her voice sounded angry, but she couldn't help that. She was angry. The officer rolled his eyes.

"Don't take that tone with me, you're lucky we aren't arresting you two for wasting police time."

Rachel cried out while Sam stood up, glaring at the man.

"What? What the hell are you on about?"

The police officer stood up as well, which made Rachel do the same. She still gripped on to Sam's hand, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"After hearing your statements, we sent officers straight round to Blaine's. He has a black eye, a dislocated jaw, and a broken wrist. You're lucky he's not pressing charges."

Sam and Rachel stared at each other in disbelief, wondering what the hell was happening.

"I honestly have no clue what you are on about." Sam sounded furious.

"You were seen fighting with a Mr Blaine Anderson the other night. Then you fell and bumped your head, and the moment you were let out of hospital, you assaulted him, believing that he was the one who had hurt you, even though your medical records clearly state that you had a nasty fall."

Rachel cursed now, jumping to Sam's defence.

"He could barely see straight when he came out of hospital, he didn't touch Blaine."

Sam nodded.

"Yeah, and I came out of hospital yesterday around midday, Blaine was trying to attack us with a knife last night and there wasn't a scratch on him."

The police officer shrugged, obviously unsympathetic to the cause.

"Well he looked pretty beaten to a pulp when I sent my officers around. He also has alibi's stating that he was at home all last night. He was with his girlfriend Quinn Fabray and they were watching a movie at the time you claim he was trying to stab you."

Rachel gasped and shook her head.

"No…. no that's not true. He's blackmailing Quinn. He has been for ages. Quinn is not dating him, she's terrified of him."

Sam looked confused at this news, and she remembered she hadn't told him about that yet. The fact that Blaine had tried to poison Quinn and she was obviously scared of him had been the last thing on her mind after the whole knife incident.

"Look lady, I can't do anything. The boy has alibis from his brother and Quinn, and he look pretty beat up. He's doing the decent thing in letting your fella walk away without being charged for anything."

Rachel shook her head again, hot tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"How can you not see how wrong this is? Blaine tried to kill Sam by throwing a massive rock at his head. He ended up in hospital. And then last night … he came to my house and tried to kill him again. We have alibi's as well. Santana's Mom, the lady who drove us here, she took Sam straight home from the hospital and he has been at hers ever since, apart from when he came to mine. He didn't touch Blaine Anderson."

Sam nodded.

"Our story is solid. How can you believe some crazy loon over us?"

The police officer shrugged again.

"I'm just doing my job. This is a complete waste of time. A teenage love affair gone wrong. I don't have time for it."

Rachel groaned in frustration, determined not to cry.

"So that's it? You are just going to let us walk out of here and not do anything?"

The officer looked angry now, but Rachel didn't care. This was unfair. All of it was unfair.

"Like I said before, you are lucky I am letting both of you walk out of here without pressing charges for assault or wasting my time."

Sam squeezed Rachel's hand, as they were both hit with the realisation that there was nothing they could do.

"Fine. We are going. But you need to take statements from our side as well. Santana's Mom, Santana herself, they all know what happened last night. They are my alibi. I was at theirs. We will be taking this further, you can be assured of that."

Sam started walking away, when Rachel had a sudden brain wave. She tried to stop the smile on her face as she realised they could win this, they could make this man see sense.

"Wait… Shelby. You need to speak to Shelby. My uh… my birth Mom but not my actual Mom… I'm staying at hers. She was there last night when Blaine came over. She can confirm that he was at our house when he told you he was at his all night."

The police officer raised an eyebrow and for a moment, Rachel thought everything would be OK.

"Shelby. Yes. We've already had a statement from Shelby."

She looked shocked at this news.

"You have?"

The policeman nodded and Sam glanced at Rachel. She couldn't fail to spot the little bit of hope on his face.

"Shelby has given a statement , and obviously… I'm not obliged to say what the details were, but I can confirm that the picture painted by your concerned Mother was that Blaine Anderson has treated you like a princess and been nothing but kind. She doesn't say very nice words about Sam however."

The officer shot Sam a filthy look.

"What? She doesn't even know Sam! What the hell are you talking about?"

The officer walked towards the door, clearly done with the conversation now.

"You're right. Shelby doesn't know Sam Evans. Which is why she gave the statement. From what she can see, Blaine is a well brought up, polite boy who wouldn't do anyone any harm and has been nothing but gracious when in her house. Sam Evans, according to her, is the guy who has been sneaking around in her home uninvited, and making her daughter stay out until all hours. I think one of her phrases were …. Sam is trouble. And judging by his records, in and out of foster homes, nobody wanting to keep him... she seems to be spot on. Now if you will excuse me, I have real work to do."

The officer gestured for them to get out. They walked out of the room and the station, absolutely stunned by what had just happened. They had told Santana's Mom not to wait to pick them up as they didn't know how long they were going to be.

Rachel couldn't stop the tears falling down now as they walked out of the parking lot , hand in hand.

Sam noticed she was crying and when they came to the sidewalk, he pulled her into his arms.

"Hey. Come here. Ssshhhh. It will be OK. Don't cry Rach."

She couldn't help it. She clung to him, buried her head in his chest and cried even more.

What the hell were they going to do now?


	22. Chapter 22

**Only Hope – 22**

Once Rachel had calmed down a bit, her and Sam decided they would have to go back home to Santana's and think about the next step to take. Somehow, they had to find a way to prove that Blaine was the bad guy in all of this, they just didn't know how.  
As if they hadn't had a bad enough morning already, when they walked into Santana's house, Shelby was sitting there on the sofa with Santana's Mom and Santana. Rachel was furious as she saw her sitting there.  
She clutched Sam's hand and tried really hard not shout.

"I never want to see you again Shelby. You have no clue what you have just done. That statement was bullshit. All of it. How could you?"

Sam kissed the side of her head.

"Calm down, it won't do any good."

He whispered into her ear so only she could hear him. Shelby stood up at Rachel's words.

"Less of the language Rachel. And that statement was the truth. Sam has been nothing but a bad influence on you. Blaine is charming. When I was filled in on what had happened last night, I couldn't believe it. Blaine would never try any of that. It's just some story you two have came up with because you have obviously fallen for each other and Sam is jealous of Blaine or something. But why on earth you would choose this sort of guy over one like Blaine is beyond me."

Rachel's jaw clenched in anger. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You are crazy. You don't know Sam. You can't just make assumptions. He's …. He's beautiful. He's so kind and you just haven't even given him a chance."

Santana's Mom nodded.

"Yeah , I hate to get involved between you and your daughter Shelby, but she's right. Sam is lovely. Me and his Mom go way back. Just because they have fallen on hard times at the minute does not make him whatever it is you think he is. They were terrified last night. Blaine really did try to harm them."

Shelby shrugged, and threw Sam an evil look.

"He's not good enough for my daughter."

Rachel winced at the fact Sam had to stand here and listen to all of this. It wasn't fair. She was wrong.

"I'm not your daughter. I'm a baby you gave away for money. It does not make us family Shelby."

Rachel was satisfied as she saw the look of pain in her eyes. She deserved it. She had never been so angry at her birth Mother, not even when she was dragged out of the loving home she shared with her Dads.

"What are you even doing here anyway?"

"I've come to take you home. You're not to see Sam anymore."

Rachel laughed out loud at this. She didn't fail to notice how Sam squeezed her hand tight at Shelby's words. Obviously the thought of not seeing each other pained him as much as it did her.

"Like hell you can stop me seeing him."

Santana's Mom glanced at Shelby, then looked at Sam and Rachel with a look of guilt and sympathy on her face.

"Listen guys, as much as I don't agree with the statement Shelby gave to the police, I can't get involved in anything she does as a parent. When I signed those papers saying Sam could stay here, I became his guardian for now. And as his guardian, I have to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble. That includes not seeing you if it means people are unhappy about it, i'm sorry Rachel. "

Sam sighed.

"I get it. And I appreciate everything you have done for me so far. But I'm not out to cause trouble. I just… I want to be with Rachel. And Shelby….you might think I'm many things, and that's fine…. But I can assure you that I would never hurt Rach. She means so much to me. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Which is why we are fighting to get Blaine away from us. He's trying to hurt her. He's trying to hurt me. You can't keep us away from each other."

Shelby scowled throughout Sam's speech. Rachel wanted to cry again, but this time with happiness. She could hardly dare believe that he thought so much of her.

"Sam, I get that you have some crush on Rachel and that you were jealous over her and Blaine. Teenage stuff is hard. But this is the way it has to be, I don't want you near my daughter"

Sam scoffed. Santana was still sitting on the sofa, watching proceedings with a slightly stunned look on her face.

"It's not a crush. Or teenage stuff. It's more than that. Way more."

Sam's voice was so adamant, so sure, that it melted Rachel's heart.

She let go of his hand now and wrapped an arm around his waist. He responded by putting his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in for a hug. He kissed the top of her head protectively while everyone watched them.

Shelby shook her head.

"Right. Well, whatever. Either way…. You won't be allowed to see each other. It ends today. Now obviously I can't do anything about you seeing each other at school but…."

"Wait a minute." Santana stood now, glaring at Shelby. Everyone was surprised at her interruption. "I have just sat there and listened to the bullshit spewing from your mouth and…." Santana's Mom gasped but looked amused at the same time. She didn't correct her on the language. "Are you seriously trying to say that not only are you splitting them up, you want them to go to school? As in the same school as the guy who is trying to kill them both?"

Shelby nodded, as if the answer were obvious.

"Of course. I don't want Rachel throwing away her last few weeks at school because of some boy."

Santana , Sam and Rachel all started protesting at once . Santana's Mom had to almost shout to be heard over all the commotion.

"Stop. Just stop. In case you have all forgot, Sam has just been released from hospital. He got out yesterday, this isn't good for him." Rachel glanced at Sam guiltily. He was looking tired and strained again, he needed some rest. Santana's Mom carried on and glanced at Shelby. "He had a nasty blow when the ever so charming Blaine threw a rock at his head, and it is going to take more than a while for him to completely recover. So stop the yelling and anger, and let's talk reasonably. Sam, I'm sorry sweetheart but after signing the papers, part of that was making sure you go to school. It's Saturday today and by Monday you should be well enough to go back if you take it easy. As for the threat of Blaine, he would be crazy to try anything at school. He wouldn't do it. I'll get Santana to keep tabs on everything and report back to me."

Santana nodded and smiled at Rachel and Sam.

"Yeah. Don't worry trouty, I have your back. Dwarf is my best friend and I know how much she cares about you. Besides, Blaine wears way too much hair gel."

Rachel rolled her eyes affectionately.

"Yeah, because that is really the issue here."

All three of them laughed but it felt weird and out of place. Shelby took a deep breath, clearly ready to deliver another hurtful speech.

"Rachel, while you are under my care, you are going to that school. No arguments."

Rachel shrugged and looked at the ground.

"Good job in just a few weeks I will be out of your care then. I'll never forgive you for what you have done Shelby. There is a crazy person free to walk around and terrify Sam and I because you gave a false statement."

Shelby sighed and waved her hand in the air dismissively, clearly done with the conversation.

"I'm going outside to wait in the car while you say your goodbyes to…. to him." Another dirty look was thrown Sam's way. Rachel wanted to slap her she was so angry. " Like I said, there is nothing I can do about if you see each other during school time, but you will not be seeing him outside of school. Not at all. "

Rachel watched as she stormed out of the house, not even saying goodbye to Santana's Mom. Santana walked over to them and grabbed them both in a hug, which surprised them.

"It will be OK guys, we will work something out for you both. But for now, go to Sam's room and say whatever you need to say. You probably won't see each other until Monday now."

They smiled at Santana gratefully and Sam pulled Rachel along to his room. Once inside, he shut the door behind them and closed the curtains.

Before she could even say anything, he took both of her hands in his and stared at her. It was the stare that always made her knees go weak.

"I know this isn't easy but I do want you to stay away from me until Monday, OK ?"

Rachel shook her head, her eyes widening with panic.

"No. I can't. I have to be with you Sam. You are still poorly from the head trauma and I.. I can't just leave you. I have to be here. I don't care what Shelby says. She will be waiting outside in that car all night because I am not going anywhere."

Sam sighed and shook his head.

"Listen to me baby, you have to . Just til Monday. It's a day and a half away, you can get through it. Because the fact of the matter is, if I'm here in bed, being watched by Santana's Mom, and you're at home with Shelby, then Blaine can't get to us. It makes sense. Just for now. And at school, I will wait for you in the parking lot , I will be with you every minute I can, and the lessons I can't be, I will have someone looking out for you. Blaine is not going get anywhere near you."

She looked at him sadly, feeling despair in every part of her body.

"I'm not even bothered about Blaine . I'm bothered about being with you. How can I stay away from you after …. after what you told me."

A sexy half smile came to his lips, making her belly swirl.

"You can say it you know. You can say that I love you. Because I do."

She smiled and shook her head again.

"I can't say it. It doesn't seem real. How can we be in love?"

His hand reached out to touch her cheek softly.

"Easily. I think the question is… how could I not be in love with you?"

Her cheeks turned pink under his gaze, and she reached up to kiss him. To her horror, he stepped away from her.

"Don't. It's going to make things worse if you kiss me. If you kiss me then I won't want you to walk away."

Rachel frowned.

"But…. I can't leave without kissing you. And like you said, we have Monday. It's not forever. I'm sure we can come up with something between now and then. Now come here and kiss me."

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. Then he stepped towards her again, his hands caressed her neck as he placed his lips gently on hers. She melted in to the kiss, distraught that she wouldn't get to lie with him for the next few nights. The fact that this was their last kiss for a few days was unbearable.

When he broke away, his eyes were pained.

"You better go."

"I need your number."

He looked confused for a minute, then smiled as he took her phone from her pocket and typed in his number.

"There. Text me OK ? And go , before you get into any more trouble."

She took a deep breath, nodded and reluctantly started heading for the door.

She heard his voice as she opened it up.

"You have shown me that love at first sight really does exist. I really do love you Rachel. Please remember that. This wasn't just a …. a thing."

She spun around to face him feeling alarmed.

"What do you mean this wasn't a thing. You are making sound like it's over. I'll see you on Monday right?"

She saw the guilt on his face and immediately knew something was up. He nodded.

"Right. Catch you later beautiful."

She watched in confusion as he turned his back to her.

"Bye Sam."

As she walked out the door, she couldn't stop feeling like something was wrong. Well, besides the whole Blaine trying to kill them drama and Shelby being a bitch that is. Something else was wrong. That goodbye felt like a real goodbye and she didn't like it one little bit.

When she climbed in the car, she pointedly ignored Shelby and got her phone out to text Sam.

**Rachel: I know this is a silly question with everything that is going on right now, but what's wrong? X**

****She held her breath as soon as she hit the send button, anxiously awaiting a reply. Something was definitely off. Her phone buzzed not even two minutes later.

**Sam: I just didn't want to say goodbye. Xx**

****She read the text and still wasn't entirely convinced.

**Rachel: It's only for a day or two. And until then we have this. I'll never say goodbye to you properly, you know that right? X**

****Shelby glanced at her as her phone buzzed again. Rachel ignored her. This was all her fault.

**Sam: Right. Listen beautiful girl, today has really tired me out. I need some sleep. Xx**

****Yet again, she felt guilty about what all this must be doing to Sam after such a horrible injury. She quickly typed out her reply.

**Rachel: Of course. Text me when you wake. Sweet dreams xx**

****When they arrived back home, Rachel ran straight upstairs to her room and locked the door. She couldn't even look at Shelby, let alone be in the same company as her.  
All she could do now was fret about Sam. She hoped he was sleeping it off now, he needed rest and in all the drama, she had forgotten just how serious his injury had been.  
She laid on her bed, wondering if she should have a nap. But Sam wasn't here. She couldn't sleep without him. When she was in his arms , she just felt content and safe. No matter what was going on, no matter how bad things had been , he always had the ability to make her feel protected. She groaned and decided she may as well do some homework as Shelby was forcing her to go back to school on Monday. She wasn't even worried about Blaine, she knew he couldn't try anything at school, and if he did try something… well then at least she would be with Sam and at least there would be witnesses.

She spent the next two hours catching up on some History and Math. It was all stuff she had already done with her Dads so she found it mind numbingly boring and easy. Once that was all finished , she guessed she could watch some TV in her room. She needed something to take her mind off all the worries and as she couldn't see Sam, then she didn't want to do anything else but stay up in her room and mope.

Just as she settled on watching some Australian soap opera that she used to watch years ago, her phone buzzed with a text. Her heart leapt as she picked her phone up, a smile on her face. Sam must have woken from his nap.

Her smile soon disappeared when she saw the name on her screen.  
**  
Blaine : Hey there sexy! Been up 2 much 2day? xxxxx**

She nearly dropped the phone in shock. Was he for real? Her hands shook as she text back.

**Rachel: Leave me alone. Leave Sam alone.**

Her phone buzzed almost instantly. She could imagine the thrill he was getting at terrorizing her.

**Blaine: You didn't answer my question. I'll ask again in case you missed it. Been up 2 much 2day? xxxxx**

She scowled at her phone. She wasn't scared. She was angry. Angry at how he had the ability to screw everyone's lives around.

**Rachel: I'm sure you know exactly what I've been up to. **

**Blaine: Of course I know. I just wanted you to say it. I found the whole thing hilarious. Your faces when you walked out of the station were heartbreaking. And the way Sam held you when you cried. He's so protective. So sexy. And you… you are so beautiful and needy. Xxxxx**

She had to re – read the message again to make sure she was seeing things right. She knew that he knew where her and Sam had been because the police had questioned Blaine over the whole incident. But how had he managed to get to the police station after the questioning to spy on them so quick? She shuddered at the thought of Blaine watching them. The thought was horrible.

She jumped as her phone buzzed again.

**Blaine: I'm still up for that threesome if you two are game? Let me know sugar xxxxx**

She groaned at the message and nearly threw her phone, before realising she was still waiting for a text from Sam. She tapped back a reply angrily.

**Rachel: Go to hell. I'll show the police these texts.**

**Blaine: Go ahead sweetheart. I didn't know it was a crime to want sex. I told them earlier that I thought you were both hot so they are hardly going to arrest me for something they already know. Come on babe, you know a threesome would be hot. Imagine me and Sam all over you, what girl could say no? xxxxx**

**Rachel: This is harassment. And intimidation. Get lost Blaine.**

**Blaine: But you keep texting me back. If anything, you are harassing me. Come on , live a little. Most girls would revel in the fun of two guys fighting over her. I wonder which one of us will win. Xxxxx**

She scoffed at his text now. She realised the more he spoke , the more insecure he revealed himself to be. It seemed like a desperate need to be picked, to win, and she was finally starting to see though him.

**Rachel : Sam. Sam won my heart right from the start,, it just took a date with you for me to realise it.**

She felt smug as she didn't have a reply back straight away. She knew that the message would have hurt him. But so what. He had already tried to stab them, what more could he possibly do?

After ten minutes of staring at her blank phone screen, she jumped as it started ringing. She felt nothing but relief as she saw Sam's number flash up. She couldn't help the smile on her face as she answered.

"Hey! I'm already missing you so much it physically hurts. This is hell."

"Uh… hey dwarf…It's… it's not Sam."

Rachel's heart started racing, her palms felt sweaty as she clutched the phone to her ear. Her whole stomach filled with dread as she heard Santana's voice on the other end.

"Santana? What's up? Why are you ringing from Sam's phone?"

There was a pause on the other end , which felt like an eternity. Eventually she heard her friend speak.

"I don't know how to tell you this dwarf, but Sam… he's… he's gone."

Rachel felt sick as she clutched the phone even tighter to her ear . Had her text to Blaine angered him so much that he had already went for Sam? But… but it had only been ten minutes. She wanted to scream as she realised this was all her fault.

"What do you mean he's gone?"

Her voice was quiet, but filled with emotion. She was trembling all over as Santana spoke into the phone.

"He left a note. He's just taken his things and left. He's left his phone here obviously, he doesn't want to be traceable. My Mom is going crazy. He is in her care and she is responsible for him."

Tears spilled down Rachel's cheeks as the realisation hit her. Blaine hadn't got to Sam. He had left of his own choice. She knew something had been up earlier.

"What does the note say?"

She didn't even know how she managed to get the words out. Everything on her body hurt. She felt raw.

She heard some rustling of a paper, then Santana's breath as she started speaking again.

"I'm sorry to have to leave you guys when you offered me a home, but Shelby was right. I'm trouble. I must be, because I've only been here for a day and I have already brought drama to your home. It's best for everyone if I go.  
Santana, look after Rachel for me. Don't let anything happen to her, I'm begging you. Also… I know you will read this to her so just…. Just tell her I love her. I'm sorry. Sam."

Rachel sat in stunned silence as Santana read the note out. After a while, Santana spoke again.

"Rach, are you still there? Speak to me bestie."

Her voice was soft and concerned , which made things even worse for Rachel. She gulped and wiped a tear away. All she had done lately was cry. She took a deep breath.

"Yeah… uh…. Santana, I have to …. I have to go."

"Wait.. are you going to be OK?"

Rachel shook her head, even though she knew her friend couldn't see her, and hung up the phone.

She stared at the screen a minute, her hands still shaking , then threw it across the room as hard as she could.

She collapsed on to her bed , put her head under the pillows and sobbed .

As she laid there and cried, she realised that this was what it felt like to have your heart break into a thousand pieces.


	23. Chapter 23

**Only Hope – 23**

Obviously Rachel didn't get any sleep that night. How could she? She couldn't sleep knowing that Sam had gone. She couldn't seem to breathe properly let alone sleep. At around two in the morning, she stormed out of her bedroom and marched straight for Shelby's room, her upset and pain turning into one big ball of anger aimed at her birth Mother. Shelby sat up as her door crashed open and Rachel turned the light on. She glared at the woman as she blinked at the sudden burst of light.

"Rachel? What the hell are you doing? It's the middle of the night."

Rachel folded her arms across her chest and leant against the wall, hating Shelby for everything. She didn't want to hurt anymore. If Shelby had never walked back into her life and made her go to school, she never would have met Sam. She would never have known what pain it was to live without him.

"I've come to tell you that you've won Shelby. You did it. Sam has gone."

Shelby sat up even more in the bed now, looking uncomfortable.

"What? What do you mean he's gone?"

Rachel took a deep breath, realising that now she had said the words out loud, it was real. It was really the truth. Another wave of pain crashed through her at the certainty of the situation.

"Sam has left me Shelby. Your little speech back at Santana's place got to him pretty good. He seems to think you were right, that he's worthless. You made him feel like that. And you've made him go. He's left me. And him leaving me means that I've left you. For as long as we both live, I will hate you. I just wanted to tell you that now. It was too important to leave until the morning."

She watched as Shelby's mouth fell open, then she left the room , went back to her own, locked the door behind her and continued with her earlier job of sobbing until her eyes, heart and body could take no more.

Saturday was torture. People always said things were worse at night, but for her, the sadness was way worse in the cold light of day. For some reason, every time she pictured Sam, he was smiling. The smile where his dimples came out and made her legs turn weak. The fact that he thought he was trouble broke her heart. He was warm, he was kind, he was gorgeous…. And she loved him. And now she would never see him again.

She texted Santana around midday.

**Rachel: Any news? Xx**

She knew what the answer would be, but she still had to ask.

**Santana: I would have told you if there was. I'm sorry dwarf. Xx**

Rachel nodded at the phone in her hands, knowing that it was true. She knew Santana would be in contact with her if she heard anything. Her phone buzzed again a few minutes later, and for a split second, she hoped. She didn't know what she hoped. She just hoped.

**Santana: I know you need time to process things , but just make sure you check in with me now and again OK Rach? Xx**

She knew her friend was only looking out for her but she didn't really want to reply. She was disappointed the text wasn't anything to do with news of Sam. She did reply in the end though.

**Rachel: xx**

She climbed back into bed, not wanting to do anything with her day. Her tears had finally stopped and now she just felt numb. Of course she had thought about going out to look for him, but where would she start? He didn't have his phone on him, she had no clue where to look. He could be anywhere by now and the note had sounded so final that she was absolutely certain he wouldn't be found.

The day dragged. And so did the night.

So did Sunday.

Santana had tweeted her a few times asking if she was OK , and each time she just replied with a kiss or two, it at least let her know that she was still around, but other than that, she didn't want to talk.

By the time Monday morning came, it was a very tired and emotional Rachel who got herself ready for school. She was going. Of course she was. Shelby had insisted the other day before Sam disappeared that she must finish her schooling, and she wanted to go anyway. She wanted to see Blaine. She wanted to watch his face when she told him to do his worst. Because for her, the worst pain had already happened. Blaine had won just like Shelby.

Sam was gone. She was alone and heartbroken. And everything had worked out lovely for everybody else.

She had made sure not to think of where Sam was or how he was. It may have been selfish of her, but it was awful enough to know that he was gone, without worrying that he was hurt or hungry or cold. Those thoughts cut her so deep that it took her breath away each time, so she had learnt to block out any thought like that. She couldn't handle it.

The morning at school was uneventful. She had bumped into Santana once who had hugged her with such force she thought her bones might break. They hadn't said anything to each other. They didn't need to. Rachel knew that Santana was there for her and that was all that mattered at this point in time.

At lunch time, Rachel asked for directions to the chess club and headed that way. When she came to the classroom not too far away from where her and Sam often studied Math and saw Blaine sitting on the front table, looking like the king of the school, her anger started to bubble up just like it had the other night.

She marched right up to him to the amazement of the few guys that were in there, and stood in front of him, waiting for him to look up from the massive chess book he was reading. When he eventually did look up, a smirk appeared on his face.

"Well. What a lovely surprise. I think this is the first time you have ever come to find me. What's up gorgeous?"

The chess guys were all staring at them in fascination. Rachel sighed and grabbed Blaine's hand, much to his delight, dragging him out of the room.

"Rachel, if you wanted to fuck me, you can just ask. You don't have to come and steal me. I'm always willing for you baby girl."

She sighed again as she pulled him along, eventually coming to the staff toilet that her and Sam had been in before. She locked the door behind them and turned to face him. She wasn't scared of him.

"What's happened to your face? The police said you were beat up and they saw it with their own eyes. You told them Sam did it. And yet here you are today, not a mark on you."

He shrugged and grinned.

"Good make up. The police were idiots to not notice the difference between a real bruise and some badly drawn on eye shadow."

She scowled. She didn't have time for his stupid games. She wanted to get this over with.

"Sam's gone."

His eyes widened . He tried to hide his shock with another smirk.

"Aw honey, did he finally realise that as sexy as you are, he just can't seem to fight his raw attraction for me?"

She leaned back against the door and rolled her eyes.

"He's not just gone from me Blaine. He's gone. Sam has gone. For good. He doesn't want to be found."

Again, he lost his composure. It was amazing how after everything he had put them through, he still couldn't hide the fact that he cared. I mean sure, throwing a rock at Sams head was a pretty fucked up way of showing his feelings, but Rachel knew without a doubt that the news Sam had gone was affecting him.

"He couldn't have just gone…. You are lying. You are just trying to…. you are… he hasn't gone."

Rachel raised an eyebrow in surprise as he shook his head.

"I can assure you this isn't a joke. He really has gone. And I'm here to tell you that it doesn't matter what you do to me now. You got your wish, Sam and I are no longer a thing. And I have already been through the worst pain I have ever felt, so whatever plans you have coming up, I can take it. You got away with everything. The police are putty in your hands. And I am now giving you permission to do your worst. Because nothing can hurt me more than the agony I have inside me right now."

She turned and opened the door, feeling better now she had finally faced him and said what she needed to say. She could tell that he knew she wasn't scared of him anymore. He had lost his power over her and he knew it. The only reason she had been scared of him in the first place were because of his threats to hurt Sam, and now that Sam had disappeared, he couldn't hurt him.

"Rachel , wait."

She stopped in the corridor, surprised at the tone of Blaine's voice. It sounded soft. It sounded like the day she had first met him when she thought he was the nicest person she had ever met. She listened as his footsteps caught up with her, then looked into his eyes as he came around to stand opposite. He still looked worried, which was a weird thing for Rachel to witness. How could a guy who had wanted to cause them so much pain react like this ? Blaine Anderson was a dangerous puzzle that she would never figure out.

"We have to find him."

She narrowed her eyes, wondering what the hell he was playing at.

"No shit brainiac. Believe it or not, that was my first thought. But seeing as we have no clue where he is, it's going to be pretty hard."

Blaine ran a hand through his hair and looked serious. More serious than she had ever seen him.

"I think I might know where he is."

She scoffed, staring at him in disbelief.

"Don't look at me like that. We were best friends before you came along to fuck with both of our hearts."

She couldn't help flinching at his words. She had never wanted to come between them. She had certainly never wanted for any of this to happen. She relaxed her face and gestured for him to carry on.

"I have a few places in mind about where he could be, and if he's not there then…. Well…. At least we tried. My Mom had to borrow my car until tomorrow so we won't be able to start the search til then. Meet me in the parking lot after school tomorrow and we will try and find him."

She frowned , studying his face for any sign of bullshit.

"Forgive me for being suspicious, but you landed Sam in hospital, tried to stab us and have threatened to kill us. And now you want me to join you in looking for the man you want to fuck and or kill, who happens to be my boyfriend…. Or …. Was…. My boyfriend?"

A small bitter smile appeared on his lips.

"Look, I want to fuck you both so that really isn't a reason to not search for him. And just… you have to forget about the threats and stuff, I was just jealous."

She scoffed again.

"Sure. I'll forget about it all Blaine. The fact that you absolutely terrified me and made me fear for my life was just a minor blip in our friendship. Let's be friends now."

His smile grew bigger, much to her frustration.

"We can be more than friends baby girl. And if we don't find Sam then at least you and I can get it on."

She groaned and shoved him away from her in frustration.

"I was being sarcastic , obviously. I don't want anything to do with you. Why would I even consider going with you to find him? If we get lucky and manage to track him down, you will just threaten to kill us again and start up your weird games. It kind of puts a whole downer on the joy of being reunited."

He chuckled, rubbing the spot where she had just pushed him.

"You are such a drama queen. I'm not going to waste my lunch hour talking about this further. It's up to you. I think I know a few places where he could be, and as far as I can tell, you have no clue. So that leaves me as your only option."

She bit her lip in thought, wondering what his motives were.

"If I agree to go with you, how do I know I can trust you? How do I know that if we find him, you're not going to kill one of us on the spot."

He closed the gap between them and traced a finger down her cheek. She was determined not to flinch away. She had meant what she said earlier. With Sam gone, she wasn't scared of Blaine.

"You don't know if you can trust me. That's the beauty of it. But like I said baby girl, it's your only hope at the moment of trying to find lover boy."

She sighed as he backed away from her.

"And just a little warning, don't bite your lip in front of me again. It makes me want to rip all your clothes off right here, right now. And I'm a grade A student, I just… I can't risk public sex in a school corridor."

She scowled as she watched him walk away.

She spent the rest of the school day trying to figure out what she could do. The possibility of finding Sam was just too tempting. She knew the thought of seeing Sam's face greatly outweighed any danger she felt from being around Blaine.

When she got home from school, she went straight upstairs to her room despite Shelby's attempts to get her to stay down and talk. She hadn't spoken to her since the other night in the bedroom, and she had no plans to now.

A few hours passed by and she was still wondering what Blaine's intentions were when her phone rang. She guessed it would be Santana asking if she was OK , but when she saw it was an unknown number, her heart skipped a beat.

"Hello?"

There was a pause at the other end of the line, then the reception crackled loudly in her ear. When that died down, she could hear quiet breathing and she knew. She just knew.

"Sam? Sam…. Talk to me. I know it's you."

She heard a muffled sigh, then gasped as he spoke. It was so good to hear his voice. Her eyes started filling with tears as she clutched the phone to her ear.

"I'm sorry Rachel, I shouldn't have called. It was selfish of me. I just needed to hear your voice. I needed to know you were safe and that Blaine hasn't tried anything."

She closed her eyes at the mention of Blaine. She didn't want to think about him. She wanted Sam. She always wanted Sam.

"I'm broken Sam. Come home. Please."

She held her breath as she listened to the other end of the line. It started crackling again and she was terrified it would cut out.

"I can't. It's … it's better this way."

She choked back a sob threatening to escape her lips before angrily yelling down the phone.

"Better for who? This is torture. You said you loved me. "

"I do Rach. I do. That's why I had to go. I was… I was dragging you down. You deserve better."

This time, she really did let out a cry. Tears pooled down her cheeks as she shook her head.

"No. Please, just…. Just come home and we can sort things out. You running doesn't change anything. I'm in love with you and you've ripped my heart out. Everyone is worried about you. Santana's Mom is getting shit from the authorities for letting you do a runner. This isn't fair on anyone and you know it. Come back to us. We care. We all care."

There was silence on the other end of the line and she hoped more than she had ever hoped before that her words had sunk into him. She listened to his steady breathing , and after a minute or two, she spoke again.

"I need you here. I need you to hold me and pretend like none of this ever happened. I need to touch you Sam. I miss you. I'm in agony."

The phone crackled again and her heart was in her mouth in case the signal was lost. She breathed out in relief when she heard his voice again.

"Every minute I'm away from you cuts me up Rach. That agony you feel, it's there for me as well. But ten times worse. I'm hanging up now."

She cried out and shook her head frantically.

"No! Please don't. Please."

"I have to. I've called you from a street phone, and there is no point trying to trace it because I will be gone from here by the time you've tracked the number. I am moving from place to place. I don't want to be found. I don't want to come back. But I do love you. I love you so much it hurts. Just… just forget about me when I hang up OK ? I was selfish to call. It won't happen again. And stay away from Blaine."

She was just about to answer him when the line cut dead.

She stared in horror at her phone as the realisation hit her that he was gone again. The pain was even worse now. He wasn't coming back.

She was too numb, too worn out to cry that night. She even managed a bit of sleep unlike the previous two nights. She knew what she had to do.

When she turned up at school the next morning, she marched straight up to Blaine's locker, lucky that she was able to catch him there.

He looked at her in surprise as she slammed his door shut.

"I'll be there. Tonight, afterschool. Meet me in the parking lot as planned."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled at her, his eyes sparkling. She couldn't tell if his eyes were flashing with amusement or danger. She didn't care.

"Well this is interesting. Yesterday you didn't know if you could trust me. What's changed hot stuff?"

She bravely took a step closer to him until their faces were just inches apart. She could feel his breath on her cheek but she didn't flinch away.

"Nothing has changed. I still don't know if I can trust you. In fact, I would put money on it that I can't trust a word you say. But if I don't go for my only shot at finding Sam, then I will never forgive myself. If we manage to find him, I don't care if you kill me right there on the spot. I just want to see his face again."

He chuckled deeply.

"You and Sam are so dramatic in your love for each other. It's quite sweet really. It's a shame you don't belong together, but it is very admirable. You really should have a little faith in me though Rachel, If I kill you, I will never get to have that sweet body of yours."

She rolled her eyes and stepped away from him , creating some space between them.

"Keep dreaming Blaine. Never going to happen. I'll see you after school."

She knew he was watching her as she walked away. And she knew she had just taken a huge gamble. But if Blaine was the only one who had the slightest idea of where Sam might be, then she had to take that chance.

She would do anything for Sam. Even die for him.


	24. Chapter 24

**Only Hope – 24**

Rachel was anxious as she made her way over to Blaine's car in the parking lot after school. She knew she had made the right choice if it meant even a little chance of her finding Sam, but she still had doubts at Blaine's true intentions.

He was smiling as he held the passenger side door open for her. She tried to ignore him and climbed in, avoiding all eye contact. He started up the engine and the car moved along.

"I knew I would get you alone again one day. Are we going to get dirty in the car?"

She scowled and looked out of the front window. It had started to drizzle and it was a grey and murky afternoon, it seemed right that the weather was so bleak when she was spending it with Blaine and not Sam.

"Just quit it and let's get this over with. Where is Sam?"

He sighed and as he went to change gear, he gently brushed her leg with his hand. She flinched away and cursed under her breath.

"I don't know where Sam is princess. I'm taking a wild guess. I'm probably not right. We will just have to wait and see."

There was silence for a while as they drove along. Rachel still couldn't figure out if Blaine was going to try something sinister if they did find Sam.

"Blaine… I know we have been through some stuff, but can't we just forget about it all now? I saw your reaction when I told you Sam had gone. You care. You care more than you are letting on."

He glanced at her as he drove. She wished he would keep his eyes on the road. She also wished he didn't look so angry.

"Don't you see? That's the whole reason I have been this way Rachel. I fucking care too much OK. You can't even begin to understand what it feels like to have feelings for two people. It sucks. And it's draining. Every single day I try to fight against it. I try to convince myself that I like one of you more than the other but… I don't. I just don't. You both mean something to me and you both screwed me over. Maybe if you had just told me right from the start you liked Sam, I wouldn't be as angry as I am right now."

She sunk back into her seat, realising there was some truth to his words. She hadn't helped the situation. But it didn't mean her and Sam deserved death threats.

"I do know what it feels like Blaine. Do you think it was an easy choice for me, choosing between you and Sam? You treated me like a princess, you were so kind in my darkest moments, and Sam to begin with… he was a jerk. And it confused me that I couldn't seem to stay away no matter what he said or did to me. I do know OK? And I'm sorry."

To both of their surprise, she reached out to touch his hand that was on the gear stick. In that moment, she forgot everything he had done to her and Sam, all she saw was an insecure person who was torn. And she really did know how much that sucked.

He eyed her hand nervously, then concentrated on the road.

"You saying stuff like that, and touching me…. it doesn't help."

She moved her hand away quickly. She wasn't meaning to play with his feelings. She had never wanted any of this.

"You've been awful to Sam and I. I thought you were going to kill us. You put Sam in hospital. And yet… I don't feel any anger. Not anymore. I thought there was a time when I couldn't even look at you again, but right here, right now…. I see this for what it really is. It sucks. All of it. And I am sorry that you felt so scared that you decided to lash out. But I know that you are going to help me find Sam. I can feel it. And I forgive you for everything else. I know he will too."

Blaine shook his head as the car came to a stop.

"You forgive me for injuring your boyfriend and coming at you both with a knife? Wow Rachel."

She nodded slowly, looking into his eyes as he stared at her in confusion.

"Just tell me that you aren't going to hurt us anymore. And I will believe you. I don't think you ever wanted to hurt us Blaine. You just had too many feelings and they scared you."

He got out of the car , slamming the door loudly. She also got out and walked over to his side, waiting for him to answer.

He took a deep breath, and looked into her eyes.

"I won't hurt you. Either of you. Let's just find him, OK?"

She nodded, she knew he was telling the truth. She could see it in his eyes. He wanted to find Sam as much as she did.

"Thank you." She almost whispered. She turned away from him to get a look at where they were, gasping when she realised exactly where Blaine had brought her.

"You think Sam is hiding out here?"

Blaine shrugged as they both looked up at the tall cliff. The cliff which was home to the cave where her and Blaine had spent their date together. The cave that Sam insisted all along was his find.

"It's possible. It's somewhere to look at least. I'm sure by now you have figured out that Sam was telling the truth all along. He did find this place. I just wanted to impress you. I liked you. I figured Sam might be here , he thinks the place is beautiful. Let's start climbing."

She nodded, and when he held his hand out to her to help her up the climb, she accepted. The rain had really started to come down hard now, and the sloping pathway they were climbing up was slippery. They climbed up in silence , and even though Rachel hated being negative, she didn't have any hope that they would find Sam here. He could be anywhere by now.

When they were about fifteen minutes into the climb, they heard twigs snapping to the right of them. They both looked at each other , alarmed. Rachel's heart started racing. Sam. It had to be Sam.

They jumped as they heard somebody cry out for help, and before she could stop him, Blaine ran from the pathway into the direction of the voice. She had no choice but to follow him. If it was Sam, then she didn't care if this route led her into the murky waters down below, at least she would see Sam again.

She was panting as she tried to catch up with Blaine. When she saw him fall down in the distance, her stomach dropped as she ran even faster to catch him. He was huddled over someone and she felt sick at the thought it might be Sam.

But as she came nearer, she realised it wasn't. It wasn't Sam at all. The guy laying on the ground next to Blaine was probably around the same age as them, but the polar opposite to Sam. He was moaning in pain and clutching his thigh as Blaine started ripping some material from his own shirt sleeve. Rachel didn't know what the hell was going on.

"Blaine? What… what's happened? Who is this?"

Blaine shook his head as he started wrapping the material from his shirt around the guys leg.

"I don't know. He's been attacked by something. He's bleeding bad."

The injured boy looked up at Blaine, fear in his blue eyes.

"It… it was a coyote or something, I don't know. It just came out of nowhere and I …. I … oooohhh. It hurts. It really hurts."

Rachel was shocked as Blaine reached forward and pushed the boys brown hair away from his forehead soothingly.

"Hey… It's OK . We will get you some help. Don't worry. What's your name?"

She watched as Blaine kept his hand on the boys head. He instantly looked calmer now.

"It's… it's Kurt. Please don't leave me. I …. I can't….. what if it comes back to finish me off?"

Blaine chuckled softly and to Rachel's surprise, gripped the strangers hand.

"Nothing is coming back to finish you off. You are making enough noise to scare anything away. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to phone for some help OK Kurt? Everything will be fine."

Rachel knelt down beside the two boys and patted Kurt's hand reassuringly, then looked at Blaine anxiously.

"I have to go Blaine. I have to get to the cave and see if Sam is there. "

Blaine shook his head, but never took his eyes away from Kurt.

"I would really rather you didn't. Not without me. The rain is getting worse Rachel, you might hurt yourself."

Rachel didn't want to alarm an injured Kurt , so she drew level with Blaine's ear and whispered.

"A few days ago, you had a knife to my back. Me getting hurt shouldn't be a problem for you."

He looked at her now, his eyes full of remorse. He felt guilty , she could tell.

"Look, we can try and find Sam tomorrow. Right now, we need to help Kurt."

She stood up and smiled at both boys kindly.

"Kurt, you will be much better soon, Blaine is going to look after you, I have to go."

Before either boy could say anything, she started running away. She could hear Blaine calling her name as she ran back to the pathway, but his voice was soon drowned out by the rain . She sighed in relief as she found the path and started heading up towards the cave. She lost her footing a few times, but she didn't fall very badly. It wasn't even a particularly dangerous climb, it was only the weather making everything worse.

By the time she reached the ledge in which the cave was set, she was a mess. She was soaked right through and her teeth were chattering. She felt hot, but her body was telling her otherwise. She looked at the pretty cave and started heading for the opening. She had no expectations of finding Sam here, disappointment was already flooding through her.

Which is why she was stunned to see Sam huddled under his coat as she entered the cave . He was sleeping. Tears fell down her cheeks as she stood there, completely dazed that he was here. Blaine had been right. All along, he had been only a short drive away from her. She walked into the cave as quietly as she could and sat down a little way apart from him, just staring at him, drinking him in. He didn't have any belongings with him. Just what he was wearing and his coat. She frowned as she wondered what had happened to all his things. Why was he here? Was he hurt? Was he hungry?

She didn't know how long she sat there watching him sleep. She didn't know how long she sat there with tears streaming down her face. All she knew is that she would sit there for eternity if it meant being close to Sam. She jumped slightly as he started to stir. He pushed his coat off from over his shoulders and blinked sleepily a few times, looking up at the cave ceiling.

It felt like a life time before he finally turned and spotted her. His eyes widened with shock and he stood up in lightning speed, brushing his clothes down and running a hand through his hair while never taking his eyes off her. She stood up timidly, wary that he was going to run. The way he was staring at her didn't make her hopeful that he would stay.

"Rachel…. You have to get out of here. It's dangerous. The weathers bad and…. and …" He stopped and shook his head, clearly unable to believe the situation. " What are you doing here? I didn't want to be found."

She sighed and looked down at the floor. She hated this. It was like he was a stranger.

"Well you didn't do a very good job of hiding Sam. It's time for you to come home."

She looked back up, meeting his eyes. She wanted to suss out his reaction but he had a blank expression on his face. No emotion, no anything.

"I don't have a home."

Those words made her angry. This whole drama was ridiculous and to be quite honest, he had brought this current situation on himself. He was the one who chose to leave.

"Stop feeling so sorry for yourself damn it. You do have a home. People care about you and you are too stubborn to see it. Get a grip Sam. Take a look around and realise that you are being a child. You need to grow up. And you need to come home and apologize to Santana's Mom."

He glared as she wrapped her drenched cardigan around her and shivered. Suddenly, his face softened and he stepped towards her. He reached out to touch her, then stopped himself.

"You're cold. You need to go home and get warm. Here, take this."

He picked up his coat and tried to hand it to her. She pushed it away and tried really hard to stop the tears that were now falling, but she couldn't.

"I'm not going anywhere without you. So if you don't come home with me then I guess I will just freeze to death on this stupid cliff."

He frowned and wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"Don't threaten me Rach. It's not fair."

She groaned in frustration.

"I'm not threatening you. I would die for you. Don't you realise that?"

His mouth fell open in shock as he shook his head.

"I'm not worth dying for. I'm not worth anything."

She sniffed and took a step closer to him. There was almost no room between them now.

"You don't know what you are worth. You are so set on thinking that you are a piece of trash that you can't see the bigger picture. You can't see how much you are hurting me. What part of I'm in love with you did you not understand before you left?"

He still looked completely stunned. It pained her that he thought so little of himself. Their bodies were almost touching as she looked up into his green eyes. She had missed those eyes. She had missed everything about him.

Before she could stop herself, her hand reached out to touch his cheek. To her relief, he didn't flinch away. He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. She gasped as his arms closed around her, hugging her to him. One hand was still on his cheek as her other arm wrapped around his waist to clutch him. She knew she was squeezing him too hard but she didn't care. She needed to make sure he was real.

She breathed him in as he held her close. She was amazed that he actually smelt clean. He had obviously been taking care of himself somehow. After a few minutes of holding on to each other as if they were both afraid they would disappear, Sam gently tilted her head up to look at him. Before she could say anything , his lips crushed into hers urgently.

She needed this kiss. She needed him. The pain of being without him even for a few days was one that wouldn't be leaving her any time soon. She kissed him back, relishing the feel of his mouth against hers. When his hands reached up to tangle in her hair, he pulled away suddenly , leaving her to frown.

He smiled at her reaction.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not kissing you anymore til we get you home. You are soaked through baby girl. Come on."

He held his hand out for her and she beamed at him, all the worries of the last few days erased just like that.

"You're coming home?"

He nodded as she took his hand, linking their fingers together.

"Yes. It's been agony without you these last few days. I love you so much it scares me. People shouldn't feel this way after so little time Rach. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. "

She shook her head as they walked out of the cave. It was still raining hard and she couldn't help but smile as he clutched her hand , steadying her as they went along.

"All I care about is that you are coming back with me. I don't want to hear any more apologies. And I don't want any more situations where you have to apologise. Just forget about it all and let's try and move on from this. Let's try and be a teenage couple in love."

He kissed her hand before helping her down a particularly steep decline.

"We can try, but the fact that we have a crazy guy threatening to kill us really doesn't help the situation."

To Sams astonishment, she laughed. She couldn't help it. The situation seemed ridiculous to her now.

"Blaine won't be a problem anymore Sam. He was the one that brought me here today to find you. He wanted us to find you."

Sam looked confused as they carried on traipsing down the cliff in the rain.

"What? He can't have changed just like that. Where is he now then?"

Rachel shrugged. Her hands were red raw with cold , she was just glad Sam was holding them. She didn't feel so cold and lonely with him by her side.

"Long story, but he is with some guy called Kurt. When we were climbing the cliff to find you, we found Kurt. He had been attacked by an animal or something. So Blaine waited with him and got him some help and I came to find you. "

The look on Sams face told her that he still wasn't any clearer on the situation.

"Rach, you're being naïve if you think just because he brought you here today that everything will be OK with him now. Because I promise you, now I'm coming home, now I know that I do mean something to you…. I'm never leaving your side again. Everyday I was apart from you just made me miss you so much. I physically hurt without you. And now you are back in my life, I'm not letting you go. He will hate it."

She sighed but squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"It's all going to be OK Sam. I'm usually right about these things aren't I?"

He shrugged as they both nearly slipped over. Rachel gasped as she grabbed onto a huge rock, trying not to fall. A few seconds later, Sam wrapped his arms around her, helping her down this carefully.

"Just don't get your hopes up he's a changed man. He tried to kill me"

She shuddered at the memory.

"I don't want to talk about that Sam. I just want to be with you. Can we just work on that? Just for a while? Work on you and me?"

Sam stopped walking and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head and held her close.

"Yes. I love you Rachel Berry. Thanks for finding me."

She grinned as she snuggled against his chest.

"Thanks for being a rubbish runaway."

He rolled his eyes fondly and grabbed her hand again. By the time they had reached the bottom of the cliff, despite being drenched, cold and tired, they were both elated.

Rachel hoped this would be the end of their dramas for now.

But the problem with the future was, you could never see what was coming.


End file.
